President Donald Trump “feels very bad” about the location of Israel’s strike aimed at Hamas senior leadership in Qatar, the White House said Tuesday.
Although it did not condemn the Israeli action, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shared a statement that said it reflected Trump’s opinions, one that uses a strong language that showed a rare daylight between the president and Israel, describing the strike as an “unfortunate incident” that does not benefit the United States or Israel.
Pressure repeatedly on whether Israel notified the United States before the strike, Leavitt in particular only said that the White House and Trump were informed by the United States Army.
“This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States Army that, like Israel, attacked Hamas, which was unfortunately found in a Doha Leavitt’s objectives, “says the steps of the peace of peace of peace, which says the peace of the peace of the peace of the peace of Leavitt”, which is in the press -the press.
“However, eliminating Hamas, who has benefited from the misery of those who live in Gaza, is a decent objective,” Leavitt added.
The White House Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, speaks during an informative press session in the Brady Information Hall of the White House in Washington, on September 9, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Images
President Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle East, to inform Qataris about the imminent attack and Witkoff, according to Leavitt.
“The president sees Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States and feels very bad about the location of this attack,” Leavitt continued. “President Trump wants all hostages in Gaza and the bodies of the dead released in this war to end now.”
“President Trump also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu after the attack, the prime minister told President Trump that he wants to make peace and quickly, President Trump believes that this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace,” he added. “The president also spoke with the EMIR and the prime minister of Qatar and thanked them for his support and friendship to our country. He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on his ground.”
However, a spokesman from the Qatar Ministry of Affairs said they were not warned about the strike in advance.
“The statements that are distributed on which Qatar is informed of the attack rightly has no basis. The communication received from one of the US officials came during the sound of the explosions resulting from the Israeli attack in Doha,” said the spokesman.
The smoke rises after several explosions were heard in Doha, Qatar, on September 9, 2025.
Ibrahheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said the air attacks aimed at Hamas leadership in Doha were “completely justified” in the light of the attack of October 7, 2023 by Hamas in Israel.
Hamas said that five of its members were killed in the strike in Doha, but that none were senior officials.
Leavitt said the White House learned of the attack “just before” that happened, but gave no indication that a warning came from Israel, as has been given in the past.
The chief correspondent of the White House of Abc News, Mary Bruce, pressed Leavitt if Israel informed the United States before the strike.
“What I can tell him is that the United States Army informed the Trump administration,” Leavitt replied.
When Bruce de ABC asked if the president spoke with Netanyahu before the strike and urged him not to go through it, Leavitt repeated that they spoke after the strike.
