Israel-Hamas conflict spills over peace mediator Qatar, Trump denies US role in Doha strike

Qatar, the mediator country in the Gaza war, has become Israel’s latest target after the army struck the homes of several members of Hamas’s political bureau, killing six people.

Hamas has said that its senior leadership survived the Israeli airstrikes while confirming six deaths, including the son of its top negotiator. Qatar said one of its security officers also died.

The attack has evoked a strong response from the Gulf country, whose prime minister said it reserved the right to respond to the Israeli attack, which it said constituted a “pivotal moment” for the region.

“We believe that today we have reached a pivotal moment,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a press conference. “There must be a response from the entire region to such barbaric actions.”

Who were killed in the attack?

Three bodyguards and negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s aide and son were all killed in the attack, Hamas said, affirming “the enemy’s failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation”.

Qatar’s interior ministry said a member of its internal security forces was killed in the strikes and several other security personnel wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes in response to a Monday shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was later claimed by Hamas.

‘Not thrilled’

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has issued a rare rebuke to Israel over its attack in Qatar, as he insisted he played no role in the attack by one close US ally against another.

“I’m not thrilled about the whole situation,” Trump told reporters during a rare outing to a Washington restaurant. “We want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today.”

“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu; it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.

“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the US, and feel very badly about the location of the attack,” he said – although adding that eliminating Hamas was still a “worthy goal.”

With inputs from agencies