Donald Trump
PicNews
US President Donald Trump has expressed strong disapproval of Israel’s recent airstrike on Hamas leaders in Qatar, stating that it undermines both American and Israeli interests. The strike, which targeted senior Hamas officials in Doha, has sparked controversy and raised concerns about its potential impact on peace efforts in the region.
Trump described the attack as “unilateral” and stated that it doesn’t advance Israel or America’s goals, despite supporting the fight against Hamas. He emphasized Qatar’s status as a sovereign nation and close ally of the US, praising its efforts to broker peace. The US president said he directed his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to warn Qatar the attack was coming, but Doha contradicted those comments, saying that reports it got a heads-up before the attack were false and the phone call from a US official came when blasts were already being heard in the Qatari capital.
The attack drew condemnation from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Union, and risks derailing Gaza ceasefire talks and Trump’s push to achieve a negotiated end to the nearly two-year-old conflict. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the airstrikes threatened to derail the peace talks Qatar has been mediating between Hamas and Israel.
According to reports, five Hamas members were killed in the attack, including the son of Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief and top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the targeting of Hamas leaders, describing it as a “right decision and perfect execution”. However, the strike has been widely criticized, with the European Union calling it a breach of international law and the United Arab Emirates describing it as “blatant and cowardly”.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and said Qatar had been playing a very positive role in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Pope Leo also expressed unusually forceful concern about the consequences of Israel’s strike in Qatar, saying “The entire situation is very serious”.
Trump assured the Emir of Qatar in a phone call after the attack that “such a thing will not happen again on their soil”. He also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who defended the attack as “entirely justified” and ordered after a Jerusalem attack and the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in Gaza.
