Trump Does a 180 On Israel: "I Am Not Thrilled About It"

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the way yesterday’s dramatic strike in Qatar was carried out, saying he was “not happy” with how events unfolded, even as he vowed to continue pressing for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“I was not thrilled with the way it went down,” Trump told reporters late Tuesday night. “I’ll speak more about it tomorrow in detail. I’m not happy about it, not happy with the whole situation. It’s not a good situation.”

The president stressed that while the U.S. remains focused on freeing hostages, the operation itself left him unsettled. “We want the hostages back, but I’m not happy with the way it was done,” he said.

When asked if he was surprised by the strike, Trump replied: “I’m not surprised by anything, certainly not in the Middle East. I’ll make a full statement tomorrow, but I can tell you I wasn’t happy with any aspect of what happened today.”

Trump’s comments came after a day of fast-moving developments. Earlier, the president announced the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who had been held captive for more than two and a half years in Iraq.

“She is now safely at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq after enduring months of torture,” Trump said. “I will always fight for justice and never give up.”

Turning his attention to Hamas, Trump issued a direct appeal: “Hamas - release the hostages now.”