Netanyahu apologises to Qatari PM for Doha attack in call from White House: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday (29 September) reportedly apologised to Qatari PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani for Doha attack in call from White House.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu apologised to Al Thani (R) for violating Qatari sovereignty in the 9 September strike on Doha. (AFP)

Netanyahu, who is being hosted at the White House by US President Donald Trump, spoke to Al Thani over a phone call for several minutes, Israel's Channel 12 reported.

Netanyahu reportedly apologised to Al Thani for violating Qatar's sovereignty in the 9 September strike on Doha, expressing regret over the killing of a Qatari security guard in the attack.

The apology gains significance against the backdrop of Netanyahu's meeting with Trump amid the ongoing effort to finalise a peace deal to end the war in Gaza and release the hostages held by Hamas.

Since the Israeli strike, Qatar had been refusing to mediate negotiations with Hamas.

Meanwhile, a Qatari technical team is also present at the White House, Reuters reported, citing a source briefed on the talks between the US President and Israeli PM.

Israeli strikes on Doha

Earlier this month, Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas leadership in Qatar's Doha, killing six people, including senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya.

Al-Hayya had led Hamas's delegations in the mediation talks with Israel to try to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal that would also include an exchange of Israelis abducted by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Qatar had also said that a member of its internal security forces was killed in the Israeli strikes. A statement from the interior ministry said, "According to preliminary information, the attack resulted in the martyrdom of Corporal Bader Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari, a member of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya)."

The Qatari capital has been a key site for Hamas leadership. Since October 2023, after several requests from the US government, Doha had opened the channel of communication between Hamas and Israel.

Israel's strike on the capital came as a Hamas delegation arrived in Doha to examine the latest peace proposal pushed by the US and the Trump administration's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Meanwhile, a White House official had said that Israel had notified the US about its Doha strike beforehand. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration had informed the Qatari government about Israel's "impending strikes" on Doha.

However, Doha denied receiving any prior information, calling the statement "baseless".

Majed Al Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said America's call came only after the explosions had already begun.

Qatari PM Al Thani had warned that an Israeli strike in Doha targeting Hamas leaders had killed the hope for Gaza hostages. He called for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to be "brought to justice".

He added that Doha was reportedly "reassessing everything" around its involvement in future ceasefire talks and discussing next steps with Washington.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also issued a fresh warning to Qatar, calling on Doha to "expel Hamas leaders and bring them to justice". He added that if Doha failed to do so, Israel would "get the job done".

He further reminded Doha and the world of the 9/11 terror attacks and compared the attack on the US to the 7 October 2023 attack carried out by Hamas in southern Israel.

He justified the strikes on Doha and said that Israel was simply following America's footsteps after the 11 September attacks.

What did America do in the wake of 11 September? It promised to hunt down the terrorists who committed this heinous crime, wherever they may be," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel is doing the same by targeting Hamas leaders.