Washington, September 10 (HS): US President Donald Trump has issued a rare public rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel launched an airstrike in Doha targeting senior Hamas leaders, saying the move “does not advance Israel or America’s goals” and undermines efforts for peace.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said he learned of the attack from the US military but “unfortunately, too late to stop it.” He stressed that the strike was solely Netanyahu’s decision and not coordinated with Washington, while praising Qatar as “a strong ally and friend.”

Six people, including a Qatari security officer, were reportedly killed in the operation, which involved 15 Israeli jets firing precision munitions on a single target. Hamas confirmed its Doha-based political leadership survived. Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned the strike as a “blatant violation” of international law, saying it received US notification only as the bombs landed.

The strike drew particular ire from Doha, a key regional mediator that hosts Hamas’s political bureau and 10,000 US troops at Al-Udeid Air Base. The Gulf nation has also recently deepened economic ties with Washington, including a $1.2 trillion trade pact and its gift of a $400m aircraft to serve as the new Air Force One.

Trump, expressing frustration, told reporters he was “very unhappy about the way it went down” and assured the Qatari leadership such incidents would not happen again on their soil. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump had spoken with Qatar’s emir and prime minister to reaffirm the alliance.

Despite his criticism of the strike, Trump reiterated that eliminating Hamas remains “a worthy goal,” demanding the release of Israeli hostages and urging that the war “end now.” Hamas, meanwhile, accused Netanyahu of sabotaging peace negotiations, while insisting the attack proved Israel “does not want to reach any agreement.”

Netanyahu’s office asserted that the “wholly independent Israeli operation” was conducted without American involvement. In a later White House statement, Trump suggested the “unfortunate” incident could still be turned into “an opportunity for peace, indicating Netanyahu had signaled to him that Israel sought a quick resolution.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar