NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump held a dinner meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York on Friday. The meeting occurred just days after a recent Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel’s strike on Tuesday was an attempt to assassinate Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar, an action that threatened to derail US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned across the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in an already volatile region.
Reports indicate that President Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to reassure the Qataris that such attacks would not be repeated on their soil. The dinner, which was also attended by a top Trump advisor and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, highlights the US’s efforts to repair relations with its Gulf ally.
Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, confirmed the dinner on X, stating, “Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended.” The White House confirmed the meeting but did not provide further details. This dinner followed a separate hour-long meeting that the Qatari Prime Minister had at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the White House meeting said that discussions focused on Qatar’s future as a key mediator in the region and on defense cooperation in the aftermath of the Israeli strikes. President Trump has publicly stated his disapproval of the Israeli strike, describing it as a unilateral action that did not serve the interests of either the US or Israel.
Washington views Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a central mediator in the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages, and for a post-conflict plan for the territory. Following the attack, al-Thani accused Israel of attempting to sabotage peace efforts but affirmed that Qatar would not be deterred from its role as a mediator.
According to Palestinian health officials, the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of over 64,000 people. The conflict has also internally displaced almost all of Gaza’s population and led to a severe starvation crisis. Numerous human rights experts and scholars have stated that Israel’s military assault on Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim that Israel has rejected.
Israel launched its offensive in response to a Hamas attack in October 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. During the Gaza conflict, Israel has also carried out bombings in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen.
