Trump criticized Netanyahu over ‘not wise’ Qatar strike: report

Washington denied advance knowledge of Israel’s bombing in Doha, with Trump telling reporters he was “not thrilled” about the strike.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump slammed Israel’s recent airstrike on Hamas leadership in Qatar, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a “heated” phone call that the decision to bomb the Gulf kingdom was “not wise,” according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

Washington has denied having prior knowledge of the Israeli strike on Doha, but Trump was reportedly furious with Netanyahu over the incident.

Netanyahu responded that the Israeli Air Force had a limited window of opportunity to carry out the attack. Later that day, a second phone call between the two leaders was described as more cordial. During that conversation, Trump inquired whether the strike had succeeded and if the Hamas leaders targeted had been killed. Netanyahu reportedly said he did not yet know the outcome.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday about his stance, Trump said, “I’m not thrilled about it. I’m not thrilled about the whole situation.”

Arab media reported that Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiating team, survived the strike, though his son and office manager were killed. Hamas confirmed that five members, including aides and bodyguards, were killed in the attack.

The group denied that its senior leaders were among the dead, though Hamas has a long history of concealing successful Israeli assassinations for months at a time.

In response to the bombing, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told CNN that there would be a “collective” regional response to the strike.

“There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region,” Al-Thani said.

“We are hoping for something meaningful that deters Israel from continuing this bullying,” he added.

DohaDonald TrumpHamasIAF airstrikeQatar