The Trump administration on Tuesday criticized Israel’s decision to launch a strike against a senior Hamas official in Qatar’s capital Doha.
“A US sovereign nation that unilaterally bombed within Qatar, and our close allies are working very hard to take risks with us and in peace, and will not advance Israeli or American goals.”
“It is a valuable goal to eliminate Hamas, who benefited from the misery of those living in Gaza,” she added.
Asked if President Donald Trump believes that the attack in Qatar (the mediator of the ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas) would undermine ongoing negotiations, Lewitt rereads the president’s statement.
On September 9, 2025, smoke rises after hearing several explosions in Doha, Qatar.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa |Reuters
The Trump administration was informed of the attack by US forces that learned of it just before it was implemented, Leavitt said.
She refused to say whether the US forces that maintain the main Qatar base had been warned in advance by Israel or they knew of the impending strike through other means.
Her comments appeared to contradict White House officials’ claims to CNBC early Tuesday. The Trump administration was notified by Israel just before the attack.
Lewitt also said that Trump “quickly” ordered US envoy Steve Witkov to tell Qatar the attack “he did” he.
However, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said later on Tuesday that “the widespread statement about Qatar being informed of the attack in advance is unfounded.”
“The communication we received from one of the American officials came during the sound of an explosion caused by the Israeli attack in Doha,” said Al Ansari.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for clarification.
Leavitt also said that Trump “sees Qatar as a strong American ally and friend and feels very bad about the location of this attack.”
“That kind of thing will never happen again in their soil,” she told Qatari leaders.
Trump also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, the strike against the capital of a foreign sovereign state is a significant escalation of Tel Aviv’s efforts to destroy groups that coordinated Israeli invasions and genocides on October 7, 2023.
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli Defense Force announced a “accurate strike” in a social media post, accusing the targeted leader of “directly responsible” on October 7th.
The IDF post did not locate the strike. However, a senior Israeli official confirmed to NBC News that it happened in Doha.
Al Ansari condemned the “coopathic Israeli attack that targeted several members of the Politburo of Qatar’s capital Doha to its housing headquarters.”
On September 9, 2025, Israeli officials in Doha, Qatar said the damaged building was followed after Israeli attacks on Hamas leaders.
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa |Reuters
“This criminal attack constitutes a strong violation of all international law and norms and a serious threat to the safety and security of Kataris and Qatari residents,” the spokesman said in the translated X-Post.
A major Hamas source told Qatari media network Al Jazeera that NBC reported that the strike targeted the group’s negotiation delegation.
Smoke rises from behind the residential area after the explosion in Doha, Qatar on September 9, 2025. The Doha attack targets high-ranking Hamas officials, Israeli officials told Channel 12.
Ali Altunkaya |Anadoru | Getty Images
According to NBC, the delegation was attacked during the meeting to discuss Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The US embassy in Doha issued shelter orders at the facility in response to reports of the strike, but lifted all restrictions later Tuesday.
