Trump Says Netanyahu 'Won't Be Hitting' Qatar Again

US President Donald Trump on Monday asserted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not launch another strike on Qatar, as Arab states toughened their stance toward Israel following last week’s attack on Washington’s Gulf ally targeting Hamas.

“He won’t be hitting in Qatar,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, after Netanyahu avoided ruling out further strikes during his meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, Rubio stressed that only Qatar could mediate in Gaza, despite Israel’s strike on Hamas members in Doha a week earlier. “Obviously they have to decide if they want to do that after last week or not, but we want them to know that if there’s any country in the world that could help end this through negotiation, it’s Qatar,” he said while en route to Doha from Israel.

Meanwhile, a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders on Monday added pressure on Washington to contain the fallout from the Israeli strike. Convened jointly by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the meeting gathered representatives from nearly 60 countries and called for a review of relations with Israel.

The summit’s joint statement urged all states to take “all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people,” including reassessing diplomatic and economic ties and pursuing legal action.

Among those present were Israel-recognising states such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco. However, the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco—signatories of the Abraham Accords five years ago—sent senior officials instead of attending in person.

The statement also called for “coordinated efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations.”