New details have emerged about the warning call by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to Qatar — moments before the Israeli strike in Qatar against Hamas.
KAN News reported that the Pentagon informed the White House of the impending strike after missiles were detected heading toward Qatar. U.S. President Donald Trump instructed Witkoff to call the prime minister of Qatar, but he did not answer.
Witkoff then called the prime minister's deputy, but while he was speaking with him a journalist's report came in that explosions had been heard in Doha.
An Arab-Islamic emergency summit is scheduled to convene in Doha next week. The summit will meet on Sunday and Monday to discuss the Israeli strike to eliminate the Hamas leadership abroad.
Yesterday (Wednesday) Qatar's Prime Minister Al Thani was interviewed by CNN and sharply criticized Netanyahu and his government for "leading the Middle East into chaos."
He also accused him of "wasting Qatar's time on mediation." Al Thani claimed that "the entire Gulf is in danger" and accused Netanyahu of "trying to undermine every effort for stability and peace", and also addressed the impact of the strike on hostage negotiations: "I think what Netanyahu did was to kill all hope for the hostages."
"Netanyahu must be brought to trial. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court. Now we need to consult with the Americans on what actions will be taken. We need to decide how to respond," he said. "There is a response from Qatar and a response from the region. The regional response is currently under review by all partners. We are working on an Arab conference to be held in Doha in the coming days."
Hours before Al Thani's interview, Netanyahu released a statement in English conveying a message to Qatar and to all states that provide shelter to terrorists: "Either deport them or bring them to justice. Because if you do not, we will."
"We also have a 9/11. We remember October 7," Netanyahu said. "On that day, Islamist terrorists committed the worst crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What did America do after 9/11? It pledged to hunt down the terrorists who committed that terrible crime, wherever they may be. And it also passed a UN Security Council resolution, two weeks later, which determined that governments cannot provide shelter to terrorists."