U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner felt “betrayed” by Israel’s airstrikes targeting senior Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, last month while negotiations with the terrorist group were ongoing, Witkoff told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Friday, sitting next to Kushner.
“I think both Jared and I felt, I just feel we felt a little bit betrayed,” Witkoff said.
“I think he felt like the Israelis were getting a little bit out of control in what they were doing, and that it was time to be very strong and stop them from doing things that he felt were not in their long-term interests,” Kushner replied when asked about Trump’s reaction to the attack on Sept. 9.
The attack “had a metastasizing effect because the Qataris were critical to the negotiation, as were the Egyptians and the Turks,” Witkoff added.
“We had lost the confidence of the Qataris. And so Hamas went underground, and it was very, very difficult to get to them,” the special envoy added.
Witkoff learned about the strikes on the morning after the attack, he related.
The full interview is scheduled to air on Sunday.
Those targeted in the Israel Defense Forces- and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)-led strike in Qatar had for years directed the Palestinian terrorist group’s operations. They were directly responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and have been managing the ongoing war against Israel, according to an IDF statement at the time.
The military said measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions. It added that efforts would continue with determination to defeat Hamas.
It is believed that most Hamas leaders survived the incident.
Khalil al-Hayya, one of the officials who survived the attack, subsequently met with Witkoff and Kushner in Egypt to cement the ceasefire deal that went into effect on Oct. 10, according to Axios.
All 20 living hostages held in Gaza have returned to Israel as part of the deal, with 18 bodies yet to be returned.
