Israeli officials reject Kushner’s account of Doha strike’s role in Gaza deal

Israeli officials speaking to i24NEWS rejected Jared Kushner’s assessment that Israel’s strike in Doha helped produce a Gaza agreement by leaving the country internationally isolated.

Kushner described the attack in Qatar as both a serious mistake and an unsuccessful military operation. He said the resulting diplomatic fallout created an opportunity to pressure Israel into accepting an agreement that ultimately benefited both Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.

“Israel did the strike in Doha, which was a terrible thing,” Kushner said. “It was unsuccessful as a military operation, and that led to Israel being globally isolated.”

Likud also rejected Kushner’s account, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to launch the Gaza City offensive, together with the Doha strike and pressure from US President Donald Trump, led Hamas to drop its demands and agree to release all remaining hostages in Gaza.

According to Kushner, mediators used that situation to advance a deal that Israeli leaders were initially reluctant to accept but later viewed positively.

Israeli officials offered the opposite interpretation, arguing that the strike demonstrated Israel’s willingness to target Hamas leaders beyond Gaza and helped bring about the latest hostage agreement.

“Quite the opposite,” the officials told i24NEWS. “What led to the latest hostage deal was only the attack in Qatar, which made it clear once and for all that Israel is no longer hesitating. The message was clear: Hamas has no immunity.”

The officials added that Israel would continue pursuing those responsible for attacks against its citizens, comparing the policy with Israel’s campaign against perpetrators of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.

“This policy continues in Gaza, just as it did after the Munich massacre,” they said. “There is no immunity for murderers anywhere.”