Steve Witkoff, the US envoy for the Middle East, said he felt “betrayed” following last month’s Israeli airstrike on Qatar, a close ally of Washington and a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, according to an interview cited by Agence France-Presse.
“Jared and I felt a bit betrayed,” Witkoff stated alongside Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, in an interview with CBS. Excerpts of the interview were released on Friday, with the full version set to air on Sunday.
The Israeli strike targeted a meeting of Hamas leaders in Doha, killing six people, including a member of Qatar’s security forces. The attack sparked outrage in the gas-rich Gulf nation and among its regional neighbors, who rely heavily on the United States for their security.
Kushner said Trump believed Israel was “losing control of its actions” and felt it was time to take a firm stance to prevent measures that, in his view, were not in Israel’s long-term interests. Kushner, who was involved in peace negotiations to end the Gaza war, said Trump’s administration had sought to restore diplomatic balance in the region.
Witkoff also praised Qatar’s diplomatic efforts, saying, “The Qataris played an essential role in the negotiations, as did the Egyptians and the Turks.” He added that he learned of the Israeli strike the following morning. “We lost the Qataris’ trust. Hamas went into hiding again, and it became very difficult to reach them,” he said.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on October 10, based on Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, ending two years of devastating conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued an apology to Qatar from the White House.