Kushner Admits Doha Strike Failed, Pushed Israel to Deal

Thousands of miles from the battlefield, in a video call from Malta, Jared Kushner — President Donald Trump's son-in-law and envoy — dropped a bombshell admission about Israel's attempted assassination strike in Doha last September. While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted at the time that "the main thing we wanted to convey was the message" and denied any failure, the American envoy revealed the White House's true calculus: "It was an operational failure that led to isolation... We used that dynamic to push them into a deal."

Kushner's remarks came during his visit to Ukraine as part of White House efforts to end the war there. The American envoy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a day after holding a three-hour conversation in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kushner's reference to the Qatar assassination attempt comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the Israeli government over implementation of the peace plan in Gaza. According to reports, the White House is pressuring Israel to advance Hamas disarmament and infrastructure rehabilitation in the Strip.

The Doha assassination attempt took place on September 9, 2025, when Israel carried out six consecutive strikes using twelve missiles. According to reports in Turkish media, based on an internal Hamas investigation, senior members of the organization had gathered at a compound in Doha to discuss a proposal for an agreement transmitted by President Trump.

According to the report, even before the meeting, a "strict and exceptional security protocol" was established for the senior officials: they arrived at the location in disguise, their personal communication devices were confiscated, and they received secure phones. The person who played a decisive role in saving the senior officials was Muammar al-Hayya, son of negotiating team leader Khalil al-Hayya, who insisted on moving the leaders to a different building and maintaining strict security measures.

The senior officials were transferred, and discussion of Trump's proposal began at 2:12 PM. At 3:46 PM, the Israeli strike commenced. The missiles hit, among other targets, al-Hayya's office and family home. Muammar al-Hayya himself was killed in the first strike, and in subsequent strikes Jihad Lubad and additional Hamas members were killed.

That same "dynamic" through which America manages its ally translated, about a month later, into the government approving the war-ending deal and hostage release. Kushner and Steve Witkoff, another Trump envoy, sat in the hall and later climbed onto the stage at Hostages Square.

Last month, Kushner met with Prime Minister Netanyahu for four hours as part of efforts to advance the peace plan. During the meeting, an understanding was reached that no rehabilitation would take place in Gaza without complete disarmament of Hamas. According to the statement released by the Prime Minister's Office, it was agreed to establish two working groups, one on disarmament and demilitarization of Gaza, and a second focused on sanitation, clean water, and other public health issues.

During his visit to Ukraine this week, Kushner expressed agreement with Israel on the final status in Gaza, but added criticism of Israel's decision-making processes. "I think we agree with the Israelis on the end state for Gaza.They have crazy elections, and it makes them a little bit irrational in certain aspects," he said.

Site of the attempted assassination in Doha (Photo: Section 27a)

The military memory is upended: no longer a victorious message, but a lever for cold American pressure. Kushner's admission exposes the gap between the official Israeli narrative and the way the White House perceived the event — as a failure that could be exploited for diplomatic purposes.