Trump tells Israel to be careful in its approach to 'great ally' Qatar

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Israel must be "very very careful" in its approach to Qatar, which he described as Washington's major ally in the region.

Speaking at the Morristown Airport in New Jersey on Sunday local time, Trump said, “My message is that they have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”

The US president said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha last week, describing it as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.

On Friday, Trump and US special envoy Steve Witkoff met for a dinner with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

Trump described the Qatari PM as a “wonderful person” and added that he has told him Qatar needs “better public relations”.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Israel on Monday for meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials to express Washington's concern over the attack in Qatar and talk about Israel's planned new offensive on Gaza City.

Last Tuesday, Israel struck Hamas' top leadership, in a move that some feared could jeopardise US-backed attempts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza and put an end to the nearly two-year war in the Strip.

The strike killed six people — one Qatari security official and five Hamas officials, according to reports.

Although Hamas claims the attack at a residential compound in Doha failed to kill its top echelon, official confirmation might come later, as was the case in the past with high-profile deaths within the militant group.

Qatar prepared Monday to host a summit over Israel's attack on Hamas leaders in Doha last week, hoping a group of Arab and Islamic nations will offer a way to push back against Israel.

Qatar serves as a key mediator in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the war, something Doha insisted it will continue to do even after the strike.

Since Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, Israel has retaliated against the militant group and others in Iran's so-called “Axis of Resistance,” launching strikes in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Qatar and Yemen.