Doha: US President Donald Trump said he was “not thrilled” about Israel’s unprecedented air strike in Qatar, adding to global outrage after Israeli fighter jets targeted senior Hamas leaders in the Gulf state’s capital.

The strikes hit residential compounds in Doha’s northern Katara district on Tuesday, killing at least five Hamas members, including the son of senior negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, according to the group. Qatar’s interior ministry confirmed one of its security officers also died and several others were wounded.

Hamas claimed Israel had attempted — but failed — to assassinate its negotiating team, which it said was meeting to discuss Washington’s latest ceasefire proposal. The group denounced the attack as a “heinous crime” and accused Israel of deliberately sabotaging peace efforts.

Qatar, home to a major US air base and a longtime mediator in Gaza talks, called the strike a “cowardly assault” and a “flagrant violation of international law.” Saudi Arabia, the UN, and European leaders issued similar condemnations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, calling it “fully justified” against the architects of Hamas’s 7 October 2023 massacre. Israeli officials said the strikes targeted al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, the group’s exiled West Bank leader.

Trump, speaking to reporters, distanced himself from the escalation:

 

 

“Well, I’m not thrilled… I’m just not thrilled about the whole situation. It’s not a good situation. But I will say this, we want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today.”

 

 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the US was alerted to the operation beforehand and notified Qatar. She said the president assured Doha’s leadership that “such a thing will not happen again on their soil.”

The Israeli military said the strike was carried out independently, with 15 jets dropping 10 munitions on a single target. Witnesses in Doha reported at least eight separate explosions.

The attack risks derailing a fragile US-backed proposal that would trade hostages for prisoners during a 60-day truce. Families of Israeli captives expressed renewed fears, warning that the strike could doom chances of a deal.

UN Secretary General António Guterres warned the strike was a “flagrant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty” and urged both sides to “work towards a permanent ceasefire, not destroy it.”

With Hamas accusing Washington of complicity and Netanyahu insisting Israel alone acted, the strike marks the most serious expansion yet of the Gaza war beyond Palestinian territory — into the heart of a US ally.