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President Donald Trump has met with a top Qatari official following a deadly Israeli airstrike in Doha that caused escalated tensions in the Middle East.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Earlier this week, Israel launched a surprise airstrike on Doha, Qatar, targeting a meeting of senior Hamas political leaders who they have accused of orchestrating future attacks and undermining regional stability. The strike, which Israel defended as a necessary counterterrorism measure, resulted in the deaths of five Hamas officials and a Qatari internal security officer assigned to their protection. However, the operation failed to kill its primary target, senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya. In a move that stunned US officials, Israel did not inform Washington in advance (breaking long-standing intelligence-sharing norms between the two allies). President Donald Trump only became aware of the attack after US military personnel notified him of Israeli aircraft movements in Qatari airspace.

What’s going on now: President Trump hosted Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for a private dinner in New York Friday, marking their first face-to-face interaction since the Israeli strike. While the White House released no detailed readout of the meeting, Qatar’s Deputy Chief of Mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, confirmed the dinner took place, posting on X, “Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended!” A senior US official speaking to one outlet said the meeting focused heavily on the fallout from the Israeli attack, the future of US-Qatar defense cooperation, and the urgent need to keep the fragile Gaza ceasefire talks alive.

Trump reportedly expressed deep frustration over Israel’s action, reiterating that it undermined ongoing US efforts to broker peace and could seriously damage Washington’s credibility as a mediator.

The high-stakes dinner came just hours after Al Thani met separately with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House. Those talks reportedly centered on Qatar’s future role as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict, regional security arrangements, and how to prevent further escalations that could destabilize US partnerships in the Gulf.

This all comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Israel for a two-day visit amid strained relations between Trump and Netanyahu following the strike in Doha. According to the State Department, Rubio will meet with Israeli leaders to “reaffirm our shared security goals, ensure Hamas never rules Gaza again, and oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.” His visit is also coming ahead of the upcoming United Nations summit on September 22, where many Western nations are expected to push for recognition of Palestinian statehood.