US President Donald Trump has said he was “very unhappy” about Israel’s strike against Hamas leaders in Doha and would be speaking more about it later.
“I’m not thrilled about the whole situation,” Mr Trump told reporters.
“I’ll be giving a full statement tomorrow. But I will tell you this: I was very unhappy about it. Very unhappy about every aspect. We got to get the hostages back. I was very unhappy about the way that went down.”
He earlier denied involvement in Israel's strike, saying it was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision.
He claimed he had tried to warn the Qataris of the impending attack after being notified by the US military, but it was too late to stop it. Qatar said the US told it about the attack 10 minutes after it happened.
"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Latest developments
- Hamas says Israeli strike on Doha failed to kill its leaders
- Israel claims it used 'precise munitions', but killed Qatari security agent
- Qatar says it got warning from US only 10 minutes after it started
- UAE President Sheikh Mohamed expressed 'condemnation of blatant attack'
His comments come amid reports in Israeli media that the White House had given approval for Israel to carry out the strike on Doha. They also come after Mr Trump, in another Truth Social post on Sunday, issued a final warning to Hamas to return the hostages. "This is my last warning, there will not be another one," he wrote.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Tuesday said the attack "does not advance Israel or America's goals" and that Mr Trump "feels very badly" about the location of the strike.
"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," Ms Leavitt said. "However, eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal."
She did not say who had told the US military, but added that Mr Trump spoke to Mr Netanyahu after the attack. During the call, Ms Leavitt said Mr Trump explained that he wants to make peace and quickly and that the "unfortunate incident" could serve as an opportunity for peace.
In his post, Mr Trump said he wants the "war to end, now".
Israel's air force conducted the attack on Doha, where Hamas negotiators were discussing the most recent Gaza ceasefire proposal.
Hamas said its top negotiator and other senior officials survived, but five others were killed. A Qatari security officer also died at the scene.
Arab countries including the UAE, as well as several western leaders, swiftly condemned the strike. Qatar called the attack "cowardly" and said it was a flagrant breach of international law.
Ms Leavitt said that Mr Trump had spoken by phone to Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, and assured them that "such a thing will not happen again on their soil".
The strike came as the war in Gaza approaches the two-year mark. More than 64,600 Palestinians have been killed in almost daily strikes on the coastal enclave, and much of the territory has been reduced to rubble.
Israel has threatened to take over Gaza city, home to more than a million Palestinians, most of whom have been living in tents after being displaced several times.
The latest development is likely to deal a serious setback to ceasefire efforts, which for month have been mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
The strike is also likely to provoke serious questions for the Trump administration, as Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US military base in the Middle East.
Mr Trump made a high-profile visit to Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in May, and often highlights strong US relations with Gulf nations.
