Trump praises US relations with Qatar

US President Donald Trump praised his country’s relations with Qatar, calling the Gulf nation a “great ally.”

“Qatar has been a great ally. They also lead a very difficult life because they're right in the middle of everything. So they have to be a little bit politically correct in their terms. But I will tell you, they've been a great ally for the United States,” he told reporters while returning to the White House from Morristown, New Jersey.

Asked by reporters what his message was to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israeli strikes Tuesday on Qatar that killed five members of the Palestinian group Hamas and a Qatari security official, he warned Israel to be careful in its attacks.

“So Israel and everybody else, we have to be careful. When we attack people, we have to be careful,” he said.

On Friday, Trump hosted Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York, with the Gulf country's deputy chief of mission saying the dinner went “great.”

The meeting came after the Israeli strikes Tuesday targeting top Hamas leaders in the capital Doha, which sparked sweeping condemnations from the region and beyond.

Trump also expressed his strong displeasure with Israel after the attack, saying it was a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.

The Hamas members were discussing a new deal proposed by the US to end the war in Gaza, where Israel has killed nearly 65,000 people since October 2023.

Qatar has been a main mediator in negotiations to end the war.