New details show U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff tried warning Qatar’s leadership just minutes before Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha — as regional tensions surge ahead of an emergency Arab-Islamic summit.
Fresh details have surfaced about the last-minute warning call from U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to Qatar moments before Israel launched its unprecedented strike on Hamas leaders in Doha.
According to KAN News, the Pentagon alerted the White House once missiles were detected heading toward Qatar. President Donald Trump immediately ordered Witkoff to contact Qatar’s leadership.
But when Witkoff called Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, there was no answer. He then reached the deputy prime minister, but while they were on the line, journalists were already reporting explosions in Doha.
The revelation comes as Qatar prepares to host an Arab-Islamic emergency summit on Sunday and Monday, where leaders will debate a collective response to the Israeli strike.
In an interview with CNN, Al Thani blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of dragging the Middle East into chaos and sabotaging mediation efforts:
“The entire Gulf is in danger. Netanyahu killed all hope for the hostages. He must be brought to trial. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court.”
The Qatari leader vowed there would be both a Qatari and regional response, with discussions already underway among Arab states.
Netanyahu, however, doubled down hours earlier in a televised statement in English, warning Qatar and all states hosting terrorists:
“Either deport them or bring them to justice. Because if you do not, we will.”
Linking the strike to America’s own history, Netanyahu declared:
“We also have a 9/11. We remember October 7 — the worst crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. What did America do after 9/11? It hunted down the terrorists wherever they were. That is exactly what Israel will do.”
The missed call to Qatar underscores just how close the U.S. came to direct involvement in the most explosive escalation of Israel’s war on Hamas beyond Gaza — and how fragile the diplomatic channels remain as the region braces for its next move.
