Washington, D.C. – October 20, 2025 – In a candid revelation that has sent ripples through diplomatic circles, two of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers on Middle East peace efforts expressed profound dismay over Israel’s audacious missile strike on a Hamas compound in Doha, Qatar, last month. The September 9 attack, which killed six people, including a Qatari security officer and the son of Hamas’s chief negotiator, was described by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff as a “severe blow” to fragile trust-building efforts and a stark illustration of the chasms between U.S. and Israeli strategies in the protracted Gaza conflict.
The disclosures came during an extended interview aired Sunday on CBS’s 60 Minutes, where Kushner – the president’s son-in-law and informal Middle East adviser – and Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the region, laid bare the emotional and strategic toll of the incident. “We were very upset,” Kushner said, his voice measured but laced with frustration. “It violated a lot of the trust that we felt we deserved from the Israeli side. It was not a smart strategic move – it crossed a line and risked everything we’d built.” Witkoff, a longtime Trump confidant and real estate magnate turned diplomat, echoed the sentiment, admitting that he and Kushner felt “betrayed” in the immediate aftermath. “We woke up the next morning to find out about this attack after a very productive session,” he recalled. “It had a metastasizing effect, isolating Qatar – our key intermediary – and forcing Hamas negotiators underground. We’d lost the confidence of the Qataris overnight.”
The strike unfolded against a backdrop of intensifying U.S.-led talks aimed at halting the nearly two-year war in Gaza, which erupted following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 hostages. By September 2025, the conflict had claimed over 45,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza health authorities, displaced nearly 2 million people, and reduced large swaths of the territory to rubble. Qatar, alongside Egypt and Turkey, had emerged as the linchpin of indirect negotiations, hosting Hamas’s political bureau since 2012 at Washington’s behest to maintain back-channel communications. Doha, with its gleaming skyline and role as host to the U.S.’s Al Udeid Air Base – the largest American military installation in the Middle East – symbolized a delicate balance of alliances.
The assault occurred around 4 p.m. local time in Doha’s upscale Leqtaifiya district, near the West Bay Lagoon area dotted with embassies, schools, and luxury compounds. Israeli F-35 jets, flying low over Saudi airspace, unleashed 10 precision-guided missiles on a gated residential complex housing Hamas leaders, including chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya. The IDF described it as a “precise strike” on figures responsible for the October 7 massacre and ongoing hostilities, but the operation fell short of its primary goals: al-Hayya survived unscathed, though his son, an office manager, and three other Hamas affiliates perished, alongside Qatari Internal Security Force member Badr al-Dosari. Black smoke billowed over the city as witnesses reported multiple explosions rattling nearby supermarkets and schools, marking Israel’s first-ever strike on a Gulf Cooperation Council member’s soil.
Qatar’s response was swift and scathing. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari condemned the “cowardly” assault as a “blatant violation of international laws and norms,” vowing a review of Hamas’s presence in Doha and suspending mediation efforts indefinitely. Hamas decried it as a U.S.-backed “crime,” holding Washington “jointly responsible” and pulling its delegation into hiding, further stalling talks on a hostage-ceasefire exchange. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency session, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labeling it a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty that jeopardized global mediation. Arab states, including the UAE – an Abraham Accords signatory – rallied in outrage, while an Arab-Islamic summit in Doha on September 15 urged sanctions and severed ties with Israel.
For Kushner and Witkoff, the betrayal cut deep. As New York dealmakers thrust into high-stakes diplomacy – Kushner drawing on his 2017 Abraham Accords experience, Witkoff leveraging Gulf business ties – they had cultivated a U.S. approach rooted in “trust and pragmatic realism.” Their strategy emphasized incentives over coercion: immediate hostage releases, phased Israeli withdrawals, and reconstruction aid to render Hamas’s arsenal a “liability” rather than leverage. The Doha talks, held in opulent Qatari hotels with negotiators shuttling messages floor-to-floor, had yielded progress on a 60-day truce framework when the missiles fell. “It derailed us temporarily,” Witkoff said. “Hamas went dark, Qatar felt exposed, and the whole regional web frayed.”
Enter President Trump, whose personal intervention proved the linchpin. Enraged by the unilateral move – which he later called “not wise” in a heated call with Netanyahu – Trump orchestrated a trilateral apology from the Oval Office on September 29 during the Israeli prime minister’s White House visit. With Trump holding the phone on his lap, Netanyahu – head bowed in a now-iconic photo – expressed “deep regret” to Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani for violating sovereignty and the unintended Qatari death, pledging no future strikes on Doha soil. “That apology was pivotal,” Witkoff emphasized on 60 Minutes. “It was the linchpin that got us to the next place – rebuilding trust with Doha and coaxing Hamas back to the table.” Qatar welcomed the “assurances,” recommitting to mediation and even reviewing compensation for al-Dosari’s family.
The episode underscored broader U.S.-Israeli tensions. Netanyahu’s hardline cabinet, including far-right allies who decried the apology as weakness, had pushed the strike amid vows to hunt Hamas leaders “wherever they hide.” Trump, however, prioritized a “durable peace,” unveiling his 20-point Gaza plan that same day – a blueprint blending immediate ceasefires with long-term governance overhaul. Key provisions include: (1) an immediate, unconditional ceasefire; (2-5) phased release of all 20 living hostages and 28 deceased remains within 72 hours, swapped for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners; (6) amnesty for disarming Hamas members with safe passage options; (7) unrestricted humanitarian aid influx, including infrastructure rehab; (8) Rafah crossing reopening; (9) technocratic Palestinian governance under a “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump and featuring Tony Blair; (10-15) gradual IDF withdrawal replaced by an Arab-led International Stabilization Force; (16) rubble clearance and rebuilding funded internationally; (17) interfaith dialogue to foster tolerance; (18) no forced displacements; (19) PA reforms paving Palestinian self-determination; and (20) escalation clauses if rejected, allowing aid to “terror-free” zones while Israel resumes operations.
Hamas, after initial demilitarization qualms, signed Phase One on October 9 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, leading to the October 13 hostage releases amid Tel Aviv celebrations chanting “Thank you, Trump!” Israel reciprocated with prisoner swaps, though 16 deceased hostages’ bodies remain pending. The deal, hailed by Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and others, has averted famine in Gaza and opened aid corridors, but skeptics warn of fragility: fresh clashes near Gaza City tested the truce, and Hamas retains influence despite disarmament pledges.
Kushner and Witkoff, facing 60 Minutes scrutiny over potential conflicts from Gulf business ties, rejected genocide allegations outright – “Absolutely not” – emphasizing Israel’s restraint and Hamas’s losses. As they prepare for Phase Two talks in Israel this week alongside Vice President JD Vance, the duo stressed rebuilding Gaza as a “viable alternative” to militancy. “This isn’t just a ceasefire; it’s a foundation for stability,” Kushner said. Yet, with Netanyahu’s coalition simmering and Hamas eyeing influence, Doha’s echoes linger: trust, once shattered, demands vigilant repair.
The interview has reignited debates on Trump’s unconventional diplomacy – bypassing career envoys for dealmakers – but also highlighted its yields. As an international summit convenes in Egypt today, the world watches whether the 20-point vision can transcend its turbulent birth, transforming Gaza from warzone to waypoint for peace. For now, the fragile truce holds, a testament to apology’s quiet power amid missiles’ roar.
