By: Ariella Haviv

The fallout from Israel’s attempted strike on Hamas leaders in Doha has reverberated well beyond the Middle East, drawing pointed remarks from President Donald Trump and igniting debate over Qatar’s role as both a mediator and host of Hamas’s political leadership. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump cautioned Israel to “be very, very careful” while reiterating his administration’s view of Qatar as a trusted partner of the United States.

Trump’s words, delivered less than 48 hours after Israel National News (INN) and other outlets reported that Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas figure, had survived the targeted operation in Doha, underscored the delicate balance between Israel’s pursuit of Hamas operatives abroad and Washington’s insistence on preserving ties with Gulf allies.

Asked directly what his message was for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the Qatar strike, Trump did not equivocate.

“They have to be very, very careful,” the president said. “They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States. A lot of people don’t know that.”

Trump, who has cultivated close personal ties with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, added that he had counseled the Gulf leader to improve his country’s global image. “I told the Emir, who I think is a wonderful person, actually, I said, ‘You need better public relations because you don’t really get the public relations,’” Trump remarked.

According to the report at INN, Trump framed his comments as both a warning and a reassurance: Israel’s campaign against Hamas was legitimate, but strikes carried out in the capital of a U.S.-aligned state risk undermining crucial diplomatic alliances. “People talk of [Qatar] so badly, and they shouldn’t be,” Trump said. “Qatar has been a very great ally. So Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people, we have to be careful.”

While Trump emphasized restraint, Prime Minister Netanyahu defended Israel’s rationale for striking in Qatar. In an English-language post on X quoted in the INN report, Netanyahu argued that Hamas’s leadership in Doha has been the central obstacle to ending the war.

“These leaders blocked all ceasefire attempts,” Netanyahu wrote. “Getting rid of them would eliminate the main obstacle to ending the war and releasing all our hostages.”

Netanyahu’s statement reflected growing Israeli frustration with Hamas’s political bureau in Qatar, widely seen as the hub where strategic decisions are made and negotiations manipulated. Israel’s security establishment has long accused Doha-based Hamas chiefs of deliberately prolonging hostilities by rejecting ceasefire frameworks in order to maximize political leverage.

INN reported that the attempted strike targeted Khalil al-Hayya, a key Hamas figure and deputy to Ismail Haniyeh, as well as other senior operatives. Hamas later claimed al-Hayya survived, even leading funeral prayers for his son and others killed in the attempt. But as INN noted, Hamas released no photos or corroborating evidence — fueling speculation that the group may be concealing the true outcome.

According to a statement released by Hamas and cited in the report on Israel National News, al-Hayya presided over funeral rites for his son, allegedly killed in the strike, “under special security arrangements.” The group used the moment to portray resilience rather than vulnerability, declaring that its leadership remained intact.

Yet analysts told INN that Hamas’s silence on the specifics of casualties suggested unease. “The absence of visual proof is unusual for Hamas, which often exploits funerals and martyrdom narratives for propaganda,” one Middle East security expert explained. “Their vagueness could mean they are covering losses.”

The episode illustrates Hamas’s dual strategy: demonstrating defiance in the face of Israeli operations while concealing operational details that might expose weaknesses.

Qatar’s position as both a host to Hamas leaders and a mediator in ceasefire talks places it at the heart of this unfolding crisis. For years, Doha has provided political sanctuary to senior Hamas officials, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khalil al-Hayya, while simultaneously cultivating close ties with Washington through hosting U.S. military facilities such as Al Udeid Air Base.

Trump’s remarks, as reported by INN, reflected this paradox. While Israel views Qatar as an enabler of Hamas, the U.S. values Qatar as an indispensable partner for regional stability, energy exports, and counterterrorism coordination. “Qatar has been a very great ally,” Trump stressed, a reminder of the White House’s unwillingness to risk alienating Doha even amid Israeli anger.

Central to both Israel’s strategy and U.S. concerns is the fate of hostages still held in Gaza. As INN has covered extensively, Hamas retains dozens of captives, including women, children, and foreign nationals, taken during the October 7 massacre.

Trump, while voicing displeasure over the Qatar strike, emphasized that ongoing hostage negotiations remain paramount. “We have to continue the efforts to bring back the hostages,” he said, suggesting that targeting Hamas leaders in Doha could complicate those talks by hardening Hamas’s stance or antagonizing Qatar, a key mediator.

Netanyahu, however, sees the elimination of Hamas’s Doha leadership as essential to freeing the captives. “The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” Netanyahu declared, adding that their removal would “rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages.”

The exchange illustrates a widening gap between Washington and Jerusalem over tactics, even as the alliance remains fundamentally strong. As the INN report highlighted, Trump’s language was measured but firm: Israel’s legitimate right to confront Hamas must be balanced against the diplomatic cost of striking in allied capitals.

For Netanyahu, the calculus is different. With Israeli lives hanging in the balance and Hamas continuing rocket attacks, eliminating senior leadership wherever they are located takes precedence over diplomatic niceties.

This divergence may complicate coordination as Israel pushes deeper into its campaign against Hamas and as Trump’s administration navigates relationships with both Israel and Qatar.

The strike has already triggered backlash from Arab states. According to the information provided in the INN report, regional governments condemned Israel’s action as an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty. While Hamas’s survival narrative dominated Palestinian media, other Arab outlets framed the incident as a dangerous escalation.

For Israel, the response illustrates the difficulty of pursuing Hamas leaders abroad: any successful operation risks alienating states whose cooperation is crucial for regional stability. For Washington, it reinforces the need to restrain Israel while preserving alliances.

Despite the controversy, many Israeli analysts argue that Hamas’s presence in Qatar has become untenable. As the INN report noted, senior Hamas leaders in Doha are widely perceived as orchestrating the war while living in luxury far from Gaza’s destruction.

“The irony is stark,” one Israeli commentator wrote in INN. “Hamas leaders enjoy safety and wealth in Doha while ordinary Gazans suffer under their policies. Israel cannot allow this sanctuary to persist.”

Whether Israel will attempt another strike in Doha remains unclear. But Netanyahu’s rhetoric suggests that Hamas’s Qatar headquarters will remain firmly in Israel’s crosshairs.

The attempted strike in Doha has exposed the complexities of Israel’s war against Hamas and the geopolitical entanglements that surround it. For Trump, the imperative is clear: safeguard alliances, particularly with Qatar, while continuing to pressure Hamas. For Netanyahu, the goal is equally clear: dismantle Hamas’s leadership, no matter where it resides.

Israel National News has underscored the stakes: Hamas’s Doha-based leaders are viewed as the architects of obstruction, blocking ceasefire efforts and prolonging the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians. Yet Washington insists that Qatar’s role as a mediator and ally cannot be jeopardized.

As the conflict grinds on, the tension between these priorities — eradicating Hamas versus preserving strategic partnerships — will continue to shape the trajectory of both Israeli actions and U.S. policy. And in the words of President Trump, the lesson is stark: “When we attack people, we have to be careful.”