According to the White House, the United States warned its Gulf ally Qatar about the Israeli airstrike. US President Donald Trump considered Qatar"a strong ally and friend of the United States" and was "deeply dismayed by the location of this attack," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in Washington on Tuesday. Israel said it had attacked senior Hamas members in Qatar's capital, Doha.

French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized the Israeli airstrikes. They were"unacceptable, regardless of the reason," Macron wrote in the evening on the online service X."The war must under no circumstances spread to the region," the French president emphasized, expressing his"solidarity with Qatar and its Emir, Sheikh Tamim Al-Thani."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed similar criticism."I condemn Israel's attacks on Doha," he wrote on X, adding:"The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and a massive increase in aid to the Gaza Strip." This is "the only solution for a lasting peace."

Shortly after Macron's and Starmer's statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized several Western countries for their stance in the Middle East conflict."A large part of the world, including a large part of the democratic world, or at least the governments, have shamefully forgotten October 7," Netanyahu said in a speech at the US Embassy in Jerusalem, alluding to the major Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 that left around 1,200 dead. Netanyahu added, referring to October 7:"I do not forget, and Israel does not forget."

"Unacceptable" for Berlin

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the attack as "unacceptable." "Israel's attack in Doha not only violates Qatar's territorial sovereignty, but also jeopardizes all our efforts to release the hostages," Wadephul said Tuesday evening in Berlin."This blow is unacceptable." Wadephul reportedly spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar. During the conversation, he told Saar that he was"deeply concerned about the lives and safety of the hostages in the hands of Hamas, including German citizens."

Qatar is playing a "crucial role in the efforts to achieve a ceasefire and the release of the hostages," Wadephul continued. He also reportedly called Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, expressing his"solidarity," as well as his "thanks," and "appreciation for these efforts."

Wadephul added: "I urgently call for everything to be done now to ensure that a ceasefire is finally reached and the hostages can return to their families." He also pointed out that the "current escalation" was also a result of Hamas's "heinous terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023." It was "up to Hamas to lay down its weapons and abandon the terror against the State of Israel."