White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 9, 2025. The White House on Tuesday described Israel's attack in the Qatari capital of Doha as "unfortunate," saying that U.S. President Donald Trump feels "very badly" about the attack. "The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack," Leavitt said at the White House briefing. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Tuesday described Israel's attack in the Qatari capital of Doha as "unfortunate," saying that U.S. President Donald Trump feels "very badly" about the attack.

"The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a White House briefing.

"This morning, the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas, which very unfortunately was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar," Leavitt said.

"Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard in bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America's goals," she said.

"The President also spoke to the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar ... He assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil," she said.

Hamas said Tuesday that its negotiating delegation survived the Israeli airstrike in Doha, though six others were killed, including members of the group's escorts and a Qatari security officer.

Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli army and Shin Bet security agency said in a joint statement that the Israeli Air Force had conducted "a focused strike targeting the top leadership of Hamas in Qatar." ■

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 9, 2025.

The White House on Tuesday described Israel's attack in the Qatari capital of Doha as "unfortunate," saying that U.S. President Donald Trump feels "very badly" about the attack.

"The president views Qatar as a strong ally and friend of the United States, and feels very badly about the location of this attack," Leavitt said at the White House briefing. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)