Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued an apology to Qatar for the death of a Qatari citizen during an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9, following international backlash.
The apology was conveyed during a joint call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, during a White House meeting.
Initially unapologetic about the attack in a Doha residential area, which targeted Hamas leaders reviewing a U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza, Netanyahu faced pressure from Trump, who disapproved of the strike and is pushing for a Gaza truce.
In a White House statement, Netanyahu expressed regret for the unintended killing of a Qatari serviceman in the missile strike, acknowledging the violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and pledging no future attacks of this nature.
The September 9 strike killed five lower-ranking Hamas members and a Qatari security official but failed to eliminate senior Hamas leaders involved in ceasefire talks.
The attack, the first by Israel on Qatar—a key ceasefire mediator and host of the U.S.’s Al Udeid base—drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty.
