On September 9, Israeli jets launched missiles over the Red Sea and struck a residential compound in Doha, Qatar. Inside were Hamas negotiators who had been discussing a US-backed plan to end the Gaza war. The missiles killed a Qatari security officer and the son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya but failed to eliminate senior Hamas officials, the New York Times reported.
The strike outraged Qatar, long a key mediator in the conflict, and infuriated President Donald Trump, who had given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wide latitude in his military campaign. What Israel saw as a tactical blow against its enemies instead became a turning point that forced Washington to tighten its grip on the peace process.
Trump’s pressure on Netanyahu
Within three weeks, Trump and Netanyahu appeared together at the White House to announce support for a US-brokered framework to end the nearly two-year war in Gaza. Trump hailed it as “one of the great days in civilization,” while Netanyahu described it more cautiously as a plan that “achieves our war aims.”
For Trump, the Israeli strike on Qatari soil risked alienating Arab governments he needed to rally behind the peace push. Furious at the provocation, his administration pressed Netanyahu to back a deal that he had resisted for months. The plan gained momentum when Hamas, under pressure of its own, agreed to release all Israeli hostages and the remains of those who had died.
A diplomatic scramble after Doha
The strike triggered an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Doha on September 15. Publicly, they condemned Israel. Privately, they drew up demands for any cease-fire, including a halt to Israeli military operations, no annexation of territory, and a ban on forced displacement of Palestinians. Qatar delivered these terms to US officials during the UN General Assembly later that month.
At the same time, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former envoy to the Middle East, returned to the negotiating table, working alongside envoy Steve Witkoff and foreign leaders like former British prime minister Tony Blair. Their challenge was to craft language acceptable to Arab states, Hamas, and Israel—no small feat given the mistrust on all sides.
Netanyahu’s resistance and concessions
Israeli officials entered the talks determined to water down commitments. Netanyahu sought to remove references to Palestinian statehood, prevent the Palestinian Authority from governing Gaza, and insert conditions that would allow Israel to slow or halt withdrawals.
American negotiators pushed back. Trump personally called into marathon meetings with Netanyahu in New York, at times cajoling and at times warning him that US patience was limited. Eventually, Netanyahu conceded enough for a joint announcement, though Arab diplomats were frustrated by last-minute changes that tilted the plan toward Israel.
Still, the final text referenced a “credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination,” a phrase Netanyahu has long resisted, signalling that US pressure had forced at least symbolic movement.
An apology before peace
Before the deal could be unveiled, the Qataris demanded something unprecedented: an apology from Netanyahu for the September 9 strike in Doha. Trump, who had himself apologized in past negotiations, told Netanyahu it was his turn.
Just before the White House announcement on September 29, Netanyahu sat beside Trump in the Oval Office and read a written apology over the phone to Qatar’s prime minister. A photograph released by the White House showed Netanyahu grim-faced, holding the receiver while the cord trailed awkwardly across Trump’s lap.
What comes next
The plan’s future remains uncertain. Hamas agreed to release hostages but has not committed to disarmament, one of Israel’s core demands. Arab states remain wary of Netanyahu’s willingness to follow through. And in Pakistan and other countries, leaders have voiced open dissent over the deal’s terms.
Yet the process revealed that even after two years of devastation since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, diplomacy was still possible. For Trump, who often touts his role in the Abraham Accords, the deal represents his most ambitious attempt yet to claim credit for reshaping the Middle East.
Whether it endures or collapses under the weight of mistrust, the Doha strike showed how quickly an act of aggression can backfire—and how the US president, once accused of giving Israel a free hand, could use it to bend Netanyahu toward negotiation.
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