When the Israeli military targeted Hamas officials in a residential neighborhood of Doha this week, the immediate shockwaves rippled through the Gulf. But the significance of the strike extends far beyond the casualties it inflicted. This was no ordinary strike. By hitting the capital of a U.S. ally that hosts America’s largest base in the Middle East, Israel was doing more than targeting Hamas — it was testing the credibility of President Donald Trump and, by extension, America’s standing as a global power.
Shock rippled across the tiny, gas-rich emirate as the strikes hit the building in an upscale neighbourhood of Doha. The attack, just three months after Iran attacked a US airbase in Qatar, again punctured the aura of calm that pervades the Gulf, which prides and promotes itself as an oasis of peace in the region. It also cast serious doubt on Qatar-mediated Gaza ceasefire talks and undermined security reassurances to the Gulf from key ally Washington.
In a show of solidarity, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan flew to Qatar on Wednesday, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will arrive on Thursday, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has already departed Islamabad for a one-day official visit to Doha, leading a high-level delegation.
Qatar’s Longstanding Role as a Mediator
For years, Qatar has been central to sensitive negotiations in some of the world’s toughest conflicts. At the height of the war in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban operated a political office in Doha, even as they carried out deadly attacks on U.S. and NATO forces. Washington tolerated — indeed supported — that office because it provided a channel for diplomacy.
I witnessed this dynamic firsthand during visits to Doha. Even as Taliban leaders waged a bloody insurgency against U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, their political representatives openly operated from the Qatari capital. Despite UN and U.S. restrictions on their leadership, the office was never shut down or targeted. Doha provided them a safe diplomatic window: permanent representatives lived there with their families, their children attended schools, and they met foreign diplomats without fear. When I interviewed the Taliban spokesman, he arrived at my hotel on the beach in a Land Cruiser, dressed in a traditional Afghan cap, shalwar kameez, and vest. Other leaders, wearing turbans and traditional attire, moved freely between meetings with international envoys. That experience underlined Doha’s unique role — a neutral space where even designated insurgents could engage the world.
More recently, Qatar has been entrusted with mediating talks between Hamas and the United States on a potential ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages.
That is precisely why Israel’s strike is so explosive. It was not just a military attack. It was an assault on the very process of negotiation itself, striking at a nation Washington had tasked with helping broker peace.
Trump’s Embarrassment
The timing could not have been worse for Trump. He entered his second term in January with promises to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza swiftly and to reclaim America’s role as a global peacemaker. Yet eight months later, both wars are more brutal than ever.
In the case of Qatar, Trump’s reaction revealed just how little control Washington appears to have over its closest Middle Eastern ally. His admission that he was “not thrilled” with Israel’s actions — made casually as he headed to dinner at a Washington steakhouse — underscored his inability to prevent a strike that undercut his own diplomatic initiatives. For a leader who prides himself on projecting strength, it was a moment of visible weakness.
For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the decision to strike in Doha was about more than Hamas. It was a calculated move to signal that Israel will not be bound by U.S. diplomatic priorities, even when those priorities involve a vital ally like Qatar. Netanyahu’s broader strategy is clear. By keeping the war going and refusing concessions in hostage negotiations, he can delay inquiries into Israel’s intelligence failures before the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and keep his own legal troubles at bay. For him, striking at the heart of a U.S.-backed mediation effort was a way to assert independence and test whether Trump would challenge him.
So far, the evidence suggests he will not.
Allies Are Drifting Away
What makes this strike even more consequential is the broader international context. Increasingly, Israel is finding itself isolated diplomatically. Traditional European allies have hardened their criticism over the scale of civilian casualties in Gaza. Arab states have already publicly condemned Israel’s tactics and aggression.
In this environment, the United States has become Israel’s lone steadfast backer. Washington continues to supply weapons, veto critical resolutions at the United Nations, and shield Israel from meaningful consequences. That dependence should, in theory, give the U.S. leverage. Instead, Israel appears to be testing just how unconditional that support really is. By striking in Doha, Netanyahu dared Trump to either push back or accept humiliation.
The condemnation was swift. The UAE denounced the attack as a “cowardly violation of sovereignty.” Turkey called it evidence that Israel is not interested in peace. Analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned that the strike “undermines U.S. credibility as a guarantor of peace and stability with Gulf partners.” Al Jazeera described it as a blatant attempt to derail negotiations, while Arab media reports argued that Washington is paying a steep reputational price for “blind support” of Israel.
For Doha, the strike is more than an issue of territorial integrity. It raises questions about whether the emirate can continue serving as Washington’s trusted mediator when the U.S. seems powerless to prevent its ally from bombing the capital. And for other Gulf states, the attack prompts a chilling question: if Israel can hit Doha with impunity, under the noses of American troops stationed there, who might be next?
Why This is a Test of U.S. Credibility
The Doha strike is about credibility. Israel is probing whether the United States can be relied upon to enforce limits, uphold alliances, or even protect its own diplomatic interests. If Washington cannot prevent an attack on a state that hosts its largest regional base and has mediated U.S. priorities, then what value do America’s security guarantees hold? This is especially critical given that Trump’s latest peace plan envisions Hamas releasing Israeli hostages in return for a ceasefire, with Washington guaranteeing that Israel would uphold its side of the deal. Tuesday’s events in Doha make such a guarantee look hollow.
For Trump personally, the damage is severe. His self-styled image as a global dealmaker has been punctured. His claim to be the president of peace looks increasingly implausible. More dangerously, his inability — or unwillingness — to restrain Netanyahu feeds a growing narrative across the Middle East: that America is no longer the power it once was, and that its president is unable to control even his closest allies. This episode also threatens Trump’s ambitions for a legacy-defining achievement.
That vision now seems more distant than ever. Israel’s strike in Doha was no accident of timing or target. It was a deliberate challenge to Qatar’s sovereignty, to the peace process, and most of all, to America’s credibility. By attacking in the capital of a U.S. ally at the center of negotiations, Netanyahu sent a clear message: Israel will act on its own terms, regardless of Washington’s diplomatic priorities. The question now is whether Trump will respond with real consequences, or whether this episode will join a growing list of moments that reveal the limits of his power abroad. If he fails this test, the fallout will not just be about one strike in Qatar. It will be about the erosion of America’s role as the world’s “indispensable power”.
