The Albany Gazette - Israel defends Qatar strikes after rebuke from Trump

The White House said Trump did not agree with Israel's decision to take military action on Tuesday and had warned Qatar in advance of the incoming strikes.

But Qatar, which hosts a large US military base and has spearheaded repeated rounds of Gaza truce efforts, said it had not received the warning from Washington until the deadly attack was already under way.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday justified the decision, telling an Israeli radio station: "We don't always act in the interests of the United States."

"We are coordinated, they give us incredible support, we appreciate that, but sometimes we make decisions and inform the United States," Danny Danon said.

"It was not an attack on Qatar; it was an attack on Hamas. We are not against Qatar, nor against any Arab country, we are currently against a terrorist organisation," he told 103FM.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said six people were killed in the strikes, including a son of its top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, but that its senior leaders had survived. Qatar said one of its security officers also died.

Danon said Israel was "still waiting for the results" of the operation.

"It is too early to comment on the outcome, but the decision is the right one," he added.

According to sources close to Hamas, six Hamas leaders including Hayya and former top leader Khaled Meshaal were in the building targeted by Israel at the time of the strike. AFP has been unable to reach any of them since then.

Qatar said the strikes targeted the homes of several members of Hamas's political bureau residing in the Gulf country.

Three bodyguards and negotiator Hayya's aide and son were all killed in the attack, Hamas said, affirming "the enemy's failure to assassinate our brothers in the negotiating delegation".

The emirate's prime minister said it reserved the right to respond to the Israeli attack, which it said constituted a a "pivotal moment" for region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes following a Monday shooting in Jerusalem that killed six people and was claimed by Hamas.

- 'Not thrilled' -

Trump said he was not notified in advance of the Israeli attack on Qatar, a crucial broker in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas on ending the Gaza war and securing the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants.

"I'm not thrilled about the whole situation," Trump told reporters during a rare outing to a Washington restaurant. "We want the hostages back, but we are not thrilled about the way that went down today."

In a post on social media, the US president insisted that "this was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me".

"I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack," he said -- although adding that eliminating Hamas was still a "worthy goal."

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the nearly two-year war in Gaza and resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,605 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

Along with the United States and Egypt, Qatar has led multiple attempts to end the Israel-Hamas war and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

(T.Wright--TAG)