Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is greeted by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol on July 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Credit: Chip Somodevilla/AFP)
Amid international condemnation of Israel's attack on Doha on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a warning message to the Gulf state — which has been hosting cease-fire negotiations throughout the war — "and all countries that harbor terrorists": "You either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will."
Speaking in an English-language video posted on X on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu compared Israel’s strike on Qatar to U.S. operations after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Twin Towers. Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly held two phone calls following the Doha attack, about which the latter told reporters he was "very unhappy."
"What did America do in the wake of Sept. 11? It promised to hunt down the terrorists who committed this heinous crime, wherever they may be," Netanyahu said, also referring to a U.N. Security Council resolution saying governments could not "harbour terrorists."
"Yesterday, we acted along those lines," Netanyahu said, accusing Qatar of giving Hamas "safe haven" and "giving them everything." Several figures within Hamas, exiled from Palestine, are based in Qatar, which has made a name for itself in the region as a mediator in times of conflict. At the time of the Israeli attack, the targeted Hamas delegation had been meeting to discuss a cease-fire proposal written by U.S. President Donald Trump, approved by Israel, and presented to Hamas on Sunday.
"We did exactly what America did when it went after the al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and after they killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan," he said. "Now the various countries of the world condemn Israel. They should be ashamed of themselves ... They should applaud Israel," he said.
