Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologised to Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, in a phone call from the White House for Israel’s strike on Doha, as per a Reuters report.
Netanyahu made the call after he met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The apology was for the surprise Israeli operation which targeted senior Hamas leaders in Doha earlier this month. The strike killed five people, including the son of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya and an aide, Jihad Labad.
The incident has added strain to US-Israel ties, with Trump growing increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu’s unilateral moves. Following the Doha strike, Trump had rebuked Netanyahu in a heated phone conversation, calling the attack “not wise”. Trump had voiced frustration that the operation risked destabilising sensitive regional diplomacy.
Netanyahu had defended his decision, saying he had only a short window to act.
Qatar, a key mediator alongside Egypt in Gaza ceasefire talks, had condemned the attack as “cowardly” and a violation of international law. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said the strikes deliberately targeted residential buildings in Doha that housed Hamas political bureau members.
