According to a statement from a White House official, U.S. President Donald Trump was scheduled to share a dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York on Friday, an engagement that came at a highly sensitive moment. The planned meeting followed just days after Israel launched an attack targeting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, a move that sparked widespread outrage across the Middle East and beyond. This strike, which was viewed by many as a reckless escalation, threatened to derail delicate U.S.-backed negotiations aimed at securing a truce in Gaza and potentially bringing an end to nearly two years of ongoing conflict.
Reports revealed that Trump was displeased with Israel’s unilateral decision to conduct the strike in Qatar, a key U.S. ally, without consultation. In a direct phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump voiced his frustration, describing the attack as unhelpful to either American or Israeli interests. At the same time, he sought to reassure Qatari leaders that such an incident would not be repeated, highlighting Washington’s interest in maintaining Doha’s trust and its pivotal role in ongoing mediation efforts.
The dinner between Trump and al-Thani was set to include U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s top advisers, underscoring the importance Washington placed on keeping close diplomatic channels open with Qatar. Earlier that same day, the Qatari leader had already engaged in an extensive hour-long discussion at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to sources familiar with the meeting, the talks centered on Qatar’s continued role as a mediator in the region, as well as U.S.-Qatar defense cooperation in light of the heightened tensions sparked by Israel’s strike in Doha.
Trump reportedly characterised Israel’s action as a reckless unilateral move that undermined broader diplomatic efforts rather than strengthening them. This perspective signaled a notable point of friction between Washington and Tel Aviv, despite the long-standing alliance between the two countries. For the United States, Qatar has long been a critical partner in the Gulf region, serving as an intermediary in negotiations involving Israel, Hamas, and other regional actors. Doha has been central not only in ceasefire discussions but also in efforts to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and in shaping potential frameworks for Gaza’s governance once the conflict subsides.
Despite the Israeli strike, al-Thani made it clear that Qatar would not abandon its mediator role. He accused Israel of deliberately attempting to sabotage chances for peace but asserted that Doha remained committed to facilitating dialogue, even under challenging circumstances. His remarks echoed the sentiment of many regional actors who have grown increasingly alarmed at Israel’s military strategy, which has left Gaza devastated.
According to Palestinian health officials, Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has been ongoing since October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of more than 64,000 Palestinians, displaced nearly the entire population of the territory, and created conditions of widespread starvation. Human rights experts and international scholars have described these actions as amounting to genocide, though Israel has firmly rejected this characterization. Tel Aviv maintains that its military operations are a direct response to the Hamas-led assault on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
The conflict has since expanded beyond Gaza, with Israel carrying out strikes in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen, underscoring the regional dimension of the crisis. Against this backdrop, Trump’s meeting with al-Thani was widely interpreted as an attempt to preserve U.S. influence in Gulf diplomacy, to reaffirm Qatar’s significance as a mediator, and to send a message to Israel that American patience with unilateral escalations has its limits.
