Top Trump administration officials are meeting with Qatar’s prime minister on the heels of Israel’s strike against Hamas in Doha.
President Trump was scheduled to meet with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani Friday, according to a White House official. Trump and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to have dinner with Al-Thani. The Qatari leader earlier the same day met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
Qatar, a US ally which has been mediating cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas and hosts a US military base, strongly condemned the strike Israel carried out Tuesday. Israel said it carried out the “precise strike” as part of its ongoing retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Israeli officials said the Hamas figures targeted in the strike had “led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal Oct. 7 massacre." Al-Thani told the UN it was “…not only an assault on the State of Qatar but an assault on the very essence of diplomacy and the pursuit of peaceful solutions.”
Trump has said he was “not thrilled” after the strike.
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“We want the hostages back but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today,” Trump said Tuesday.
The White House said the Trump administration was notified by the US military Israel was striking Hamas in the capital of Qatar, but Witkoff’s immediate notification to the Qatari’s Trump said came “unfortunately, too late stop the attack.” Trump said he spoke to Al-Thani following the strike and “assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil” and directed Rubio to finalize a defense cooperation agreement with Qatar.
“I want ALL of the Hostages, and bodies of the dead, released, and this War to END, NOW! I also spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu after the attack. The Prime Minister told me that he wants to make Peace. I believe this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for PEACE,” Trump stated on Truth Social.
Rubio is expected to travel to Israel, the State Department said, where “…he will convey America’s priorities in the Israel-Hamas conflict and broader issues concerning Middle Eastern security, reaffirming U.S. commitment to Israeli security. He will also emphasize our shared goals: ensuring Hamas never rules over Gaza again and bringing all the hostages home."
