Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Qatar’s prime minister from the White House on Monday, apologized for strikes against Hamas in the Gulf country and promised not to do so again, the United States said.
Netanyahu, who had until now been defiant since ordering the strikes on September 9 in Qatar, placed the call as he was meeting with US President Donald Trump about a ceasefire in Gaza.
“As a first step, Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman,” a White House statement said.
“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,” it said.
Israel did not immediately give an account of the call, although Netanyahu was expected later to hold a news conference with Trump.
The White House statement said that Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani also agreed to set up a three-way group to “enhance coordination, improve communication, resolve mutual grievances and strengthen collective efforts to prevent threats.”
Netanyahu had for weeks been defiant and derided Qatar, the home to the largest US air base in the region, for providing a base for Hamas.
The arrangement with Hamas was long done with the tacit agreement of Israel as it kept the militant group in a US-friendly country and not Iran.
But Netanyahu had said that calculations had changed since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Israel has also struck Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen in recent months.
Trump, who has been wooed by Qatar — including with a gift of a luxury plane — had earlier said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike in Qatar.
The attack occurred just as Hamas leaders were discussing a US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
UAE urges Israel to accept Gaza deal
The United Arab Emirates is also pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace proposal and to abandon any plan to annex the West Bank, a delegate with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Read More: Shehbaz backs Trump’s Gaza peace plan, calls two-state solution key to lasting stability
The UAE, the most prominent Arab country to normalise ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, warned Netanyahu that annexation would shut the door to further Israeli normalization with leading Arab and Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, the delegate said.
‘Do not sabotage the deal,’ say Israelis
Israelis gathered outside the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv on Monday, calling on President Donald Trump to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept his plan to end the Gaza war.
“Now, now,” the crowd chanted, an AFP correspondent reported from outside the mission, as Trump and Netanyahu were meeting at the White House.
“Do not allow any attempt to sabotage (the deal),” said a demonstrator addressing the crowd.
Protesters held a banner that read: “President Trump, make history. Bring them home now.”
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Also Read: Trump pushes Netanyahu to accept Gaza peace plan in White House meeting
In an open letter written to Trump on Sunday, the families of Israeli hostages urged him to deliver on his proposed deal to end the Gaza war.
“The stakes are too high and our families have waited too long for any interference to derail this progress,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main organization representing relatives of the hostages held in Gaza, wrote in the letter to Trump.
Their appeal followed Trump’s remarks that a breakthrough in ceasefire negotiations was imminent, citing a 21-point plan he gave to Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week.
