Kushner Reveals US Leveraged Israeli Doha Strike Failure for Hamas Deal

Jared Kushner, former senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, revealed that the U.S. leveraged Israel's "terrible" and "failed" military strike in Doha, Qatar, to pressure Jerusalem into a deal with Hamas. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy Strategy conference, Kushner described the September 9, 2025, "Operation Fire Summit" airstrike against Hamas leaders in Doha as a military failure that isolated Israel globally.

Kushner stated that the U.S. administration identified this diplomatic weakness and used the resulting dynamic to push Israel towards an agreement. "We used this dynamic to push them into a deal," he explained, acknowledging that Israeli leadership was initially uncomfortable with the U.S. pressure. "At the time they felt some discomfort with what we were pushing them to do."

The Likud party responded by claiming that the decision to strike in Qatar, combined with Trump's pressure, led Hamas to drop its demands and agree to release all remaining hostages. However, Kushner asserted that, in hindsight, the outcome proved beneficial for all parties, including Israel and the residents of Gaza.

"Ultimately, it turned out to be a great thing for them, and today they are very happy about it," Kushner concluded, adding that the deal also benefited the Palestinian population. The strike occurred while Hamas leaders were discussing an American proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release.