An Israeli airstrike struck a residential area in Doha on Tuesday, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Interior.
Israeli strike hits Doha amid ceasefire talks
The attack came as Hamas negotiators were in the Qatari capital for ceasefire discussions aimed at ending the war in Gaza.
The strike has triggered a diplomatic dispute after US officials claimed Qatar was informed beforehand.
Qatari authorities have denied this, insisting the warning came after the explosions had already started.
Trump administration says it warned Qatar
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that US President Donald Trump’s administration had been notified by the US military of Israel’s plans. She said Trump instructed his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to inform Qatari officials of the impending attack.
Leavitt acknowledged that the strike was damaging to peace efforts, calling it “unilateral bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States.” She added that eliminating Hamas remained a “worthy goal.”
Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform that he felt “very badly about the location of the attack” and assured Qatar it would not happen again. He also said the strike was a decision made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not by him.
Qatar rejects Trump’s claims
Qatar strongly rejected the White House account, per Al Jazeera reports.
“Claims that the government had been pre-informed of the attack are completely false,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said.
He explained that a US official’s call to Doha only came during the sound of explosions. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described the Israeli strike as “state terrorism” and condemned it as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty.
The Amiri Diwan confirmed that Trump spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani after the incident. The Emir reportedly denounced the attack as a “reckless, criminal act” and a breach of international law.
Hamas said the strike killed five of its members but that its main negotiating team survived. The group accused Netanyahu of deliberately undermining peace talks and held the US “jointly responsible” for supporting Israel’s actions.
The attack came just days after Trump warned Hamas on social media to accept his proposed ceasefire terms, saying it was their “last warning.”
Despite the attack, Qatar Airways confirmed that its operations were not disrupted.
“The safety and security of our passengers have been and will always be our top priority,” the airline stated.