NEW YORK: President Donald Trump planned to meet the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, a White House official said, days after U.S. ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
The official did not elaborate on the timing of the meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani or its agenda.
Israel on Tuesday attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar, a strike that risked derailing U.S.-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance U.S. or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
UNSC condemns strikes on Qatar, without naming Israel
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace, but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.
The Qatari leader will also meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department said late on Thursday.
Israel’s assault on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 64,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, while internally displacing almost all Gaza’s population, and set off a starvation crisis. Multiple rights experts and scholars say Israel’s military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
Israel has also bombed Lebanon, Syria, Iran and Yemen in the course of the Gaza conflict.
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