US President Donald Trump hosted a dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York on Friday, only days after Israel—Washington’s closest ally in the region—carried out a strike in Doha aimed at Hamas’s exiled leadership.
The Israeli attack, launched on Tuesday, sought to eliminate Hamas’s political bureau members but instead threatened to unravel US-backed negotiations for a Gaza truce and an end to the nearly two-year war. The strike drew sharp condemnation across the Middle East and beyond, with critics warning it risked further destabilising an already volatile region.
Trump, frustrated by the unilateral move, conveyed his displeasure directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, while privately assuring Qatari officials that such actions would not be repeated.
At the dinner, Trump and al-Thani were joined by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, a senior adviser to the president. “Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission Hamah Al-Muftah posted on X. The White House later confirmed the meeting but released no details.
The engagement followed a separate hour-long session at the White House earlier that day, where al-Thani met Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to a source familiar with the talks, discussions focused on Qatar’s ongoing role as a regional mediator and future defence cooperation in light of Israel’s strikes.
Trump, sources said, made clear he regarded Israel’s operation as counterproductive, arguing it advanced neither US nor Israeli strategic interests.
Qatar has long been a key American partner in the Gulf, serving as a channel for negotiations over Gaza. Its mediation has covered ceasefire arrangements, the release of Israeli hostages, and broader post-conflict planning for the besieged territory. Al-Thani, denouncing Israel’s attempt to derail peace efforts, vowed on Tuesday that Qatar would not abandon its diplomatic role.
Since October 2023, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 people and displaced nearly the entire population, creating famine conditions, according to Palestinian health officials. Several international experts have described the assault as genocide, a characterisation Israel has firmly rejected.
The offensive began after Hamas launched a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, by Israel’s count. In the months since, Israeli forces have expanded their operations beyond Gaza to Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen, underscoring the widening scope of the conflict.
