Trump to Qatari leaders: You were a big factor in the incredible Middle East peace

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar for being a "big factor" in securing a ceasefire deal in Gaza, during a refueling stop on his way to Asia, AFP reported.

The Qatari leaders boarded Air Force One when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the US military's regional headquarters and thousands of US soldiers.

Trump said the duo played a key role in the Middle East peace process, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was his "friend of the world".

- What we have done is an incredible peace in the Middle East, and they have been a very big factor in that - Trump said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had just completed a trip to Israel as part of Washington's comprehensive diplomatic effort to keep the Gaza ceasefire on track, was present at the meeting with Qatari leaders.

Trump is traveling to Asia for the first time since taking office again in January, and on the agenda are two regional summits and face-to-face meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders.

Qatar has played a key mediating role in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas since the outbreak of the war and is among the guarantors of the fragile peace agreement, along with Egypt, the United States, and Turkey.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss the very sensitive next steps in the agreement, including the establishment of security forces in Gaza and the fate of Hamas.

Talks on Air Force One took place as Israel carried out an airstrike targeting an alleged Islamic Jihad militant in Gaza.

"Let's see what they do in the next 48 hours. I am watching this very carefully," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after talking with Qatari leaders.