By Bloomberg

Copyright scmp

US President Donald Trump made a rare public break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the leader’s decision to launch a unilateral attack against Hamas in Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals”.
The strike on the militant group’s leadership in Doha, the capital of a US ally, dramatically escalated regional tensions and risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday.
Trump said he had spoken to both Netanyahu and Qatari leaders following the attack and that he believed the “unfortunate incident could serve as as opportunity for PEACE”. He also said Netanyahu had assured him “that he wants to make Peace”.
Still, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier on Tuesday declined to say if Trump would impose consequences on Netanyahu for the operation even though it went against the president’s wishes.
Trump said he had assured the leaders of Qatar that such an incident would not happen again on their soil and that he viewed their country “as a strong Ally and friend of the US, and feel very badly about the location of the attack”.

The US president added that “eliminating Hamas, who have profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal” and called for the release of all hostages being held by the group, including the bodies of those who were dead.
Hamas said that all of its leaders survived the attack but that five lower-ranked members were killed. Qatar said a member of its Internal Security Force died and others were wounded in the attack.
While Trump has generally supported Israel’s military actions against Hamas and other Tehran-backed militant groups – as well as Netanyahu’s air strikes on Iran itself three months ago – Tuesday’s attack puts the US in an awkward situation between two allies in the region.
It also threatens to further inflame tensions even as Trump is seeking to encourage more Arab nations to normalise ties with Israel and secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Even though many of the details of the attack were still unclear, it revealed new tensions between Washington and an ally that is both home to the largest US military base in the Middle East and boasts one of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth funds.
Trump visited the country in May and Qatar’s wealth fund has pledged to invest billions in the US over the next decade. Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al Ansari called the attack a “flagrant violation” of international law.
After Qatar pushed back on claims that it had been warned by the US of the impending attack, Trump acknowledged the alert had come too late. Trump said the administration was notified about the attack by the US military.
“I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” Trump wrote.

Condemnation on Tuesday poured in from other Middle East and European capitals as well.
The United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel five years ago under the Abraham Accords that Trump brokered, warned Israel its actions would have “extremely dangerous repercussions” for regional security. Saudi Arabia, which the US leader is pushing to join the accords, called it a “criminal act”.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on social media that “the priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid to Gaza”, while French President Emmanuel Macron said that “under no circumstances should the war spread throughout the region”.
Netanyahu called the latest move against Hamas “a wholly independent Israeli operation”. Later, in a speech at the US embassy in Jerusalem, he said the strike could open the door to ending the war in Gaza if Hamas, like Israel, accepts Trump’s principles for a resolution.
Hamas, however, said the attack would not change the conditions it is seeking from Israel in talks. The group said in a statement that Israel killed five of its members in the Doha attack, but that officials from its main negotiating delegation were spared.
Israel has been fighting Hamas in Gaza since the militant group’s deadly attack on the country in October 2023.
Qatar is one of the key mediators between Israel and the Palestinian group, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union, and has been central to the halting ceasefire talks between the two sides.
Those talks have not advanced since Hamas said in mid-August it had agreed to a proposal to release half of the hostages it still holds from the October 7 attack in exchange for a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israel, which has demanded Hamas fully disarm, has since initiated plans to take over Gaza City, and this week ordered its 1 million residents to leave ahead of a major military offensive.
Arab nations were already on edge about the death toll from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and the humanitarian impact of the war, which has devastated the territory. A United Nations body has declared a famine in parts of Gaza due to blocks on food aid, intended to raise pressure on Hamas.
Additional report by Associated Press