Qatar hit back at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a strongly worded statement early on Thursday, describing his remarks about the Gulf country's hosting of a Hamas office as "reckless".

The heated exchange came after Israel attempted to kill Hamas political leaders in an air strike on Qatar on Tuesday, escalating its military campaign in the Middle East and prompting a flurry of international condemnations.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu warned Qatar to either expel Hamas officials or "bring them to justice. Because if you don't, we will." He also accused Qatar of providing safe haven and financing to Hamas, drawing a sharp rebuke from Doha.

In a statement, Qatar's foreign ministry condemned what it described as Netanyahu's "explicit threats of future violations of state sovereignty".

"Netanyahu is fully aware that the hosting of the Hamas office took place within the framework of Qatar's mediation efforts requested by the United States and Israel," the ministry added.

"The negotiations were always held in an official and transparent manner, with international support and in the presence of US and Israeli delegations. Netanyahu's insinuation that Qatar secretly harboured the Hamas delegation is a desperate attempt to justify a crime condemned by the entire world."

Qatar, along with Egypt, has been mediating peace talks between Hamas and Israel. It warned that Israel's attack on Doha threatened to derail those negotiations.

"We will work with our partners to ensure Netanyahu is held accountable and that his reckless and irresponsible actions are brought to an end," the foreign ministry said.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his decision to target Hamas inside Qatar wasn't wise, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing senior administration officials.

Trump made the comments during what the Journal described as a heated phone call on Tuesday after the attack.

According to the newspaper, Netanyahu responded that he had a brief window to launch the strikes and took the opportunity.

A second call between the men later on Tuesday was cordial, with Trump asking Netanyahu if the attack had proven successful, the Journal reported. (Reuters)