Netanyahu apologizes to Qatar for airstrike on Doha
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized to Qatar for his country’s deadly strike on the Gulf state’s capital, Doha, that targeted senior Hamas officials who were there to attend negotiations with an Israeli delegation, according to White House and Doha readouts of a US-mediated phone call.
US President Donald Trump had no prior knowledge of the attack, which drew widespread international condemnation, killed six people, including a Qatari security officer, though the top Hamas leadership was reported to have escaped.
Netanyahu met with Trump on Monday in Washington, during which they held a three-way call with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
According to the readouts, during the call, the Israeli prime minister “expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.”
He “further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”
Qatar has acknowledged that Netanyahu “apologized for the attack and the violation of Qatari sovereignty”. Doha’s readout also welcomed US guarantees against repeated strikes, and reaffirmed Qatar’s readiness to mediate Gaza peace efforts.
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “regrets” the death of a Qatari citizen in the Israeli strike, stressing that the intended target was Hamas. The statement also acknowledged that Israel and Qatar have mutual “grievances,” with Netanyahu welcoming Trump’s idea to establish a trilateral group to address the issues in the relations.
Qatar, which for years has hosted Hamas’s political bureau, has acted as a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinian militant group, brokering ceasefires and hostage exchanges, including a truce in 2023 and another framework agreement in early 2025.
