US President Donald Trump's journey to Asia for a regional summit included a significant, though unplanned, stop in Qatar on Saturday. The refueling halt at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters for the US military, became the venue for a high-level diplomatic meeting. President Trump welcomed Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani aboard Air Force One . The Emir noted the uniqueness of the occasion, stating it was the first time he had ever joined a visiting world leader on a plane for a refueling stop .
During the meeting, President Trump effusively praised the Qatari leaders for their crucial role as mediators in the Middle East. He specifically thanked them for being a "very big factor" in achieving what he described as an "incredible peace to the Middle East" . He referred to the Qatari Emir as "one of the great rulers of the world, not just the Middle East" and expressed confidence that the safety of the region would be maintained "for a very long time" . In a statement on social media, the Qatari Emir said the meeting was a "good opportunity to discuss peace plans" and to follow up on efforts to solidify the agreement to end the war in Gaza .
The talks focused on maintaining the fragile US-backed ceasefire in Gaza and advancing the next phases of President Trump's peace plan . Following the meeting, Trump told reporters that the truce must continue to hold and suggested that Qatari troops, along with those from other nations, could be part of an "international stabilisation force" for Gaza . He mentioned that "59 countries" had signed on and that leaders for the force were being selected, indicating it could be deployed "pretty quickly" . US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also scheduled to discuss the potential force in Qatar, noting that a possible UN resolution or international agreement might be needed to authorize it .
A major challenge to the peace plan is the refusal of Hamas to disarm, a key demand of the agreement . Furthermore, the ceasefire has been repeatedly tested. On the same day as the meeting, Israeli forces conducted an airstrike on a vehicle in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, which the Israeli military claimed targeted a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad . The strike, which killed at least one person and wounded four others, was described by observers in Gaza as a "breach of an already fragile ceasefire" . This incident highlights the ongoing volatility on the ground, even as high-level diplomacy continues.