Former CIA Director John Brennan on Tuesday said the Israeli strikes on Hamas in Qatar are a sign of more chaos in the region, just months after the Trump administration signaled hope for peace in the Middle East.
“It’s a very dangerous and destabilizing escalation of tensions in the region,” Brennan said of the Tuesday strikes during an appearance on “MSNBC Reports.”
“And I do think it basically, as Andrea says, lays waste to any prospect of near-term negotiations with Hamas on a ceasefire,” he added, speaking to MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck senior Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, citing grievances following the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, when 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 people taken as hostages, according to officials.
Brennan raised concern with the Tuesday strike’s impact on global relations suggesting Trump gave Israel a “green light” to conduct the operation without input from officials in Qatar.
“Very worrisome standpoint is that apparently the Trump Administration was notified beforehand,” he said. “And the Qataris, who are very close partners of the United States, I think are going to see that non-objection from the Trump Administration as being very, very concerning.”
“Because clearly, the Trump Administration could have said, in no uncertain terms, ‘no’ to Netanyahu government, ‘You will not do that against a sovereign state where we have a the forward headquarters of CENTCOM and that we continue to work with,'” the former CIA official continued. “So, clearly, the Trump Administration gave the green light, tacitly or implicitly, to Israel to go ahead with this.”
Qatar is home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East and serves as the primary site for the U.S. Central Command’s (CENTCOM) forward headquarters.
Israel’s strikes in Qatar come as leaflets are being distributed to Palestinians in Gaza City urging them to evacuate immediately as Israeli forces begin to ramp up strikes in the area.
“I say to the residents of Gaza, take this opportunity and listen to me carefully: you have been warned — get out of there!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday, according to reports from Reuters.
Reports of intentional starvation, bombings on churches, homes and hospitals have emerged as Netanyahu denies wrongdoing or violations of international humanitarian laws.
Over 64,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the ongoing war in the region, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
President Trump on Sunday warned Hamas to accept the terms of a ceasefire agreement or continue to face Israel’s wrath.
“Everyone wants the Hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end! The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” the president wrote Sunday on Truth Social.
“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,” he continued. “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”