President Donald Trump “feels badly about the location” of an Israeli strike in Qatar and considers it an “unfortunate incident,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.
“This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” Leavitt said during a press briefing. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”
Leavitt added: “However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
The Israeli strike in Qatar on Tuesday was meant to target Hamas leadership. Leavitt said U.S. officials used their advanced notice of the strike to warn Qatari officials of the impending hit but would not specify if Israel gave the U.S. the heads up or if the U.S. military detected the attack ahead of time.
Trump spoke with Qatar’s emir and prime minister after the attack and “thanked them for their support and friendship to our country,” Leavitt said, describing Qatar as a “strong ally.”
Trump “assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil,” she said.
Trump has been openly working to negotiate peace in the Middle East as the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, with Qatar serving as a critical middle man for the administration. Qatar as of late has been working to help broker a ceasefire deal between the warring regions, which is still pending.
Per the White House, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after the attack and emphasized that both men want peace. Leavitt said the president sees the attack as a potential “opportunity” to reach that goal — a sentiment Netanyahu has also expressed.
“Israel acted wholly independently, wholly independently, and we take full responsibility for this action,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday. “This action can open the door to an end of the war, end of the war in Gaza. Israel has accepted the proposal put forward by President Trump to end the war, beginning with the immediate release of all our hostages … If President Trump’s proposal is accepted, the war can end immediately.”