US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jared Kushner has confirmed that Washington leveraged international condemnation following Israel's September 2025 air strike in Doha to push Israeli leaders toward a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.
"Israel did the strike in Doha, which was a terrible thing," Kushner stated.
"It was unsuccessful as a military operation, and that led to Israel being globally isolated."
According to Kushner, American diplomats capitalised on that diplomatic fallout to accelerate an agreement that had been under preparation for months.
"And we used that dynamic in order to push them into a deal that now, today, they're quite happy with," he noted.
Failed assassination
The September 9, 2025, air strike hit a residential compound in Doha's Leqtaifiya district, targeting senior Hamas political leaders who had convened to review a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
The movement's top political figures survived the attack, leaving the targeted assassination attempt unsuccessful.
However, the bombing killed five Hamas members and aides, including the son of senior official Khalil al-Hayya, alongside a 22-year-old officer from the Qatari Internal Security Force.
Kushner acknowledged that Israeli officials were initially resistant to the diplomatic compromises Washington demanded in the aftermath of the raid.
"At the time, they were a little uncomfortable with kind of what we were pushing them to do," Kushner remarked, though he argued that the final outcome served regional stability.
"Ultimately, it turned out to be great for them, and it turned out to be great for the people of Gaza."
