The White House has claimed that Qatar was warned beforehand about Israel’s recent airstrike.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed them about the planned strike in advance.

“Netanyahu told us he wanted to establish peace and that he wanted it soon. So, we had prior knowledge of the attack. After speaking with Netanyahu, President Trump immediately conveyed a warning to Doha through Steve Witkoff about the upcoming strike,” Leavitt stated.

She added, “Later, a further warning was issued to Doha from the U.S. military base in Qatar. After the strike, President Trump also called Qatari leaders and assured them that such attacks would not take place on Qatari soil in the future.”

Recently, President Trump sent a draft ceasefire proposal to Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, senior Hamas leader and spokesperson Khalil al-Hayya, along with other members of the group’s high command, met in a residential building in Doha to discuss the proposal.

During that meeting, Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike targeting the building. According to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the operation was intended to kill Hamas spokesperson Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, the leader of Hamas’s West Bank branch.

The attempt was unsuccessful, but at least six people were killed in the strike, five of whom were reportedly linked to Hamas.

Hamas later confirmed in a statement that none of its top leaders were among the dead.