Trump says decision to attack Hamas in Qatar made by Israel PM, not White House

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the decision to attack Hamas in the Qatari capital was made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not by the White House.

"This was a decision made by (Israeli) Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said he immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending Israeli attack when notified by the U.S. military on Tuesday morning, but "unfortunately, too late to stop the attack."

By the time Witkoff reached them, the Israeli bombs had already hit their target in Qatar, reported local U.S. media outlets, citing a U.S. official.

"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States, that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker Peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals," Trump reiterated in his post.

He said that he views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels "very badly about the location of the attack," but calls eliminating Hamas "a worthy goal."

Trump confirmed that he spoke to the emir and prime minister of Qatar following the attack, and "assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil," adding that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was directed to finalize the Defense Cooperation Agreement with Qatar.

The Israeli action infuriated some of Trump's top advisers, as the White House is expecting to receive Hamas's response to Trump's latest proposal for peace in Gaza by the end of this week, reported Axios, a U.S. media outlet.

U.S. officials were particularly upset that they were notified so late that they had no opportunity to weigh in on Israel's plans, said the report.

One day before the strike, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met with Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami, but didn't say anything about the attack plan, it said, citing a source with direct knowledge.

The strike in Qatar reportedly took place not far from the biggest U.S. military base in the region. Hamas said that its negotiating delegation survived the strike, though six were killed, including members of the group's escorts and a Qatari security officer.

Hamas said the attack occurred while its delegation was discussing a new U.S. proposal presented by Trump, accusing Netanyahu's government of attempting to sabotage international mediation.