President Donald Trump’s administration is signaling growing frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel carried out a strike in Qatar on Tuesday that targeted senior Hamas leaders as they reportedly gathered to review a U.S.-backed framework for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

The rare operation — Israel’s first strike on Qatari soil, which also hosts one of America’s largest military bases — has rattled delicate diplomacy and set off alarm inside the White House. Trump, while reaffirming his long-standing goal of “eliminating Hamas,” publicly criticized the move, warning it did not “advance Israel or America’s goals.” Behind closed doors, officials were more forceful.

“Every time they’re making progress, it seems like he bombs someone,” a person close to Trump’s national security team told Politico. “That’s why the president and his aides are so frustrated with Netanyahu.”

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told the UN Security Council that the strike “went beyond any borders, any limitations,” accusing Israel of undermining mediation efforts. An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that negotiations, previously led by Qatar and Egypt, have halted since Tuesday’s bombing.

A senior Qatari official, speaking anonymously, said the attack shifted Doha’s focus squarely onto “national security and sovereignty, which were directly threatened.” The official added: “When one party chooses to bomb the mediator and one of the negotiating delegations, what kind of talks can be considered valid?”

Trump acknowledged that Israel did not provide adequate warning of the strike and that calls from his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to alert Qatar came “too late.” He later wrote on social media that bombing “inside Qatar, a Sovereign Nation and close Ally of the United States… does not advance Israel or America’s goals.”

While U.S. officials told Politico there are no plans to penalize Netanyahu, they expressed concern the Israeli leader may be deliberately sabotaging talks.

The White House is now rushing to reassure Doha: Qatari premier al-Thani is slated to meet Friday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Trump himself, and Witkoff.

Despite the fallout, Trump maintained optimism when asked by Israel’s Channel 14 how the strike might affect negotiations. “Hopefully, it won’t affect it at all,” he said. “We want the hostages out, and we want them out soon.”

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