Trump has heated call with Netanyahu over Israeli strike on Qatar

Trump told Netanyahu the decision to target Hamas political leaders in Doha, Qatar’s capital, wasn’t wise. He was angry to learn about the attack as it was occurring from the U.S. military—rather than from Israel—and that it struck the territory of another U.S. ally that was mediating negotiations on ending the Gaza war, the officials said.

Netanyahu responded that he had a brief window to launch the strikes and took the opportunity.

A second call was cordial, officials said, as Trump asked Netanyahu if the attack had proven successful. Netanyahu said he didn’t know. Hours later, Hamas claimed that Israel’s targets survived the strikes, though six lower-level representatives were killed.

A senior administration official said Trump, a staunch supporter of Israel, is increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, who continually boxes him in with aggressive moves taken without U.S. input that clash with Trump’s own Middle East goals.

In Gaza, Trump favors a cease-fire and the release of hostages held by Hamas. But he has also emphasized his support for Netanyahu’s military campaign to defeat Hamas, the officials said, including a renewed Israeli assault on Gaza City.

The Israeli government declined to comment.

The Israeli strike prompted Hamas to break off cease-fire negotiations. Even worse for Trump, it infuriated Qatar’s leaders, who were mediating between Hamas and Israel in U.S.-led peace talks.

Trump has made strengthening relations with Gulf monarchies a pillar of his Middle East strategy, showing great affection for Qatar’s leaders during a May visit to the capital. The Qataris have reciprocated, gifting the U.S. a $400 million luxury plane to serve as Air Force One. The country also has unveiled plans to host a Trump-branded golf resort.

“This clearly undermines Trump’s peace agenda," said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, adding that Trump himself is partly at fault because of his “erratic approach" in the Middle East, which “creates space and openings for actors to do as they will."

Netanyahu signaled more strikes on Hamas targets could be coming.

“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbor terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will," he said Wednesday in a video statement.

The Israeli leader has for months signaled skepticism about a cease-fire with Hamas, the militants who on Oct. 7, 2023 killed 1,200 Israelis and took another 240 civilians hostage.

Trump has made his desire to end conflicts—and claim a Nobel Peace Prize—a priority of his second term in office. Netanyahu’s willingness to use force around the region often risks straining relations with the U.S., but it has also at times moved Trump and his aides closer to Israel’s approach.

Trump backs Israel’s attacks on the U.S.-designated terrorist group, calling them a path to a cease-fire along Israel’s terms—a point he made Tuesday after the Israeli attacks when he said that “this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for Peace."

After the Israeli attack Tuesday, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said his country would still serve as go-between for the warring parties.

“Qatar’s mediation role is going to continue for self interest. On Hamas, I think they have a self interest in not walking away from the Arabs, particularly Qatar. So some kind of dialogue is going to continue here," said David Satterfield, former President Joe Biden’s special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues now at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Trump, one of the U.S. officials said, would still like to see Israel end the war in Gaza, which will enter its third year in October. At a minimum, he would prefer that Netanyahu reduce its bombardment of the enclave, the official continued, as Trump believes the images of the attacks hurt Israel’s public global image.

Trump and Witkoff have both privately complained in recent months that Netanyahu maneuvers them into difficult situations, often with little warning, officials said.

In June, as Trump aimed to broker a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, the Israeli prime minister alerted Trump Israel was launching attacks against Tehran. The strikes began within hours. The 12-day military campaign, which Trump later joined, derailed U.S.-Iran negotiations and inflicted major damage on three Iranian nuclear sites—an outcome Trump called “spectacular."

Trump has surprised Netanyahu in much the same way. In May, the U.S. reached a deal with Hamas to release Edan Alexander, the last remaining living American hostage in Gaza, after more than 18 months in captivity. The Israelis were also surprised that month by Trump’s decision to end a seven-week air campaign against the Yemen-based Houthi rebels in a truce without a requirement for the Houthis to stop attacking Israel.

But Netanyahu has shown he can walk right up to the line with Trump and pull back before the relationship ruptures.

On Wednesday he joined the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, at a ceremony in the city of Bat Yam to lay the cornerstone for a beachfront walkway named after Trump. The U.S. president, Netanyahu said, is “the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House."

Write to Alexander Ward at alex.ward@wsj.com and Josh Dawsey at Joshua.Dawsey@WSJ.com