Washington: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday expressed “deep regret” for the recent Israeli missile strike in Qatar as US President Donald Trump hosted a phone call between Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and expressed “his desire to put Israeli-Qatar relations on a positive track.”
A statement issued by the White House said, “Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman. He further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”
The Qatari Prime Minister welcomed the assurances, “emphasising Qatar’s readiness to continue contributing meaningfully to regional security and stability.”
The White House also announced that the two leaders accepted Trump’s proposal to “establish a trilateral mechanism to enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances, and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats.”
“They underscored their shared commitment to working together constructively and clearing away misperceptions, while building on the longstanding ties both have with the United States,” the statement added.
On Gaza, the readout said that all sides “discussed a proposal for ending the war.”
On September 9, the Israeli military targeted the headquarters of Hamas’s leadership in Qatar in an airstrike as the group discussed a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas claimed that the Israeli attack failed to kill any of the senior officials of the group.
Trump had attempted to distance his administration from the attack, saying that Israel acted alone.
“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu; it was not a decision made by me,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He added that while Israel’s unilateral bombing inside Qatar “does not advance Israel or America’s goals,” however, “eliminating Hamas, which has profited off the misery of those living in Gaza, is a worthy goal.”
(IANS)
