In a December 12, 2025 column titled "Is This A Divine Warning?" in the Qatari daily Al-Arab, journalist Najat Ali referred to the LA fires as "a divine warning to Washington due to the unlimited military aid it extends to Israel," a "divine response" to President-elect Donald Trump's threat that "there will be Hell to pay" if the Israeli hostages held by Hamas are not released soon, and "divine punishment" for the U.S. position on Israel. She wondered whether the U.S. will recognize the fires as a warning and reassess its relations with and support for Israel.
Other journalists in Qatar expressed similar sentiments on social media. Some wrote that the "hell" Trump promised the Middle East has struck the U.S., and one even criticized Arabs for feeling sorry for the fire victims, and expressed hope that Allah will bring death upon all the "infidels."
Cartoon in Qatari daily (Al-Arabi Al-Jadid, London, January 11, 2025)
The following are excerpts from Najat Ali's article, and a sampling of the social media posts.
Qatari Journalist: This Disaster Came Along To Burn The Heart Of The U.S.
Najat Ali wrote: "Destruction reigns supreme in Gaza, to the point that it has turned into a ghost town like a scene from a Hollywood science fiction movie. But the irony is that what Gaza is experiencing at the hands of Israeli war criminals is now [also] being experienced by Los Angeles, America, at the hands of nature, in a similarity that evokes both wonder and astonishment!
"After the U.S., in support of Israel, repeatedly threatened and warned the Middle East with hell,[1] [this] divine response arrived and struck Los Angeles in Southern California, so that it would experience the hell that U.S. President-elect [Donald Trump] has repeatedly threatened to bring down on the region. It's like a divine warning to Washington, due to the unlimited military aid it extends to Israel and its policy of supporting the killing of Palestinians in Israel's massacres and war of extermination against the people of Gaza.
"Praise be to Allah the Almighty! The scene of the evacuation of the Los Angeles hospital due to the fires is the same as the scenes of the evacuation of Gaza hospitals under the bombardments – in what seems to be divine punishment for the American positions that have contributed to the ongoing tragedies in Gaza. Moreover, the homes and mansions of many celebrities have burned down, including the home of actor James Woods, who called for the destruction and burning of the Palestinian people.[2] The scenes of destruction caused by the fires are remarkably similar to those left behind by the war of extermination in Gaza!!
"The [Los Angeles] fires are a natural disaster that has caused more damage than [some] wars, for they have burned extensive areas in the largest city in [the western U.S.] and destroyed over 10,000 homes and structures, [and] the economic damage from the fires is estimated at $135-150 bn.
"After the burning of the hearts of women and children in Gaza and the killing of the joy in their souls, this disaster has come along to burn the heart of the U.S… The fire is devouring the most famous of cities, Hollywood, destroying theaters, cinemas and the homes of celebrities, striking terror in everyone's hearts.
"The images and scenes are identical, showing that there is no difference between the Jabalia [refugee camp in northern Gaza] and Los Angeles. The world saw heavenly [forces] turning the gardens of California into ash, just as the occupation has turned the gardens of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun into ruins! The images of displacement are also identical: just as the people of northern Gaza had to leave, so too did the people of Los Angeles, with power outages and schools closed down...
"Our religion [Islam] and our humanity compel us to show sympathy for all innocent victims everywhere. The Los Angeles fires are considered among the five most costly disasters ever. Perhaps these fires will serve as a warning to the U.S., that it must reconsider its relations with the Israeli occupation and its unwavering support for its policies and crimes, which bring [the U.S.] nothing but further damage."[3]
Journalists In Qatar: The "Hell" Trump Promised The Middle East Has Struck The U.S.; May Allah Bring Death Upon All "Infidels"
As noted, journalists in Qatar also took to X to express glee over LA's misfortune and describe the fires as divine vengeance for America's support for Israel's war in Gaza.
Qatari journalist Abd Al-Aziz Muhammad wrote: "The American aid squandered by the occupation [i.e., by Israel] in its Gaza war amounted to about $60 bn. The damage caused by the recent U.S. fires has reached about $150 bn. Trump said a few days ago that he will bring hell upon the region, yet hell has arrived in the heart of the U.S., with hundreds of thousands of Americans displaced and thousands of homes and mansions lost. I trusted in the vengeance and in the victory of the One and Only Almighty God."[4]
Qatari journalist Ebtesam Aal Saad shared a video of the LA fires and commented: "They wanted hell for Gaza, and Allah hurried to bring hell upon them!" [5]
Adham Sharkawi, a journalist of Palestinian origin who writes a column for the Qatari Al-Watan daily, likewise shared a video of the fires and wished death on the American "infidels," writing: "Some of our people are sad for what is happening in America, and you get the feeling that they are about to pick up pails of water and rush off to help put out the fires. [This] is America, which [provided] the weapons for pulverizing Gaza around the clock. America whose hands are stained with the blood of Muslims. O Allah, I repeat Noah's prayer to you [in Quran 71:26]: 'Lord, do not let a single infidel remain alive!'"[6]
Adham Al-Shakawi's post
[1] On December 2, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump said that "there will be Hell to pay in the Middle East" if hostages taken from Israel during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks are not freed by his inauguration on January 20, 2025 (Axios, December 2, 2024). On January 7 he repeated this remark, saying that there would be “all hell to pay” (CNN, January 7, 2025)
[2] In November 2023 James Woods tweeted: "No ceasefire. No forgiveness. No compromise. #KillThemAll." X.com/RealJamesWoods, November 19, 2023.
[3] Al-Arab (Qatar), January 12, 2025.
[4] X.com/a_mohamed_qtr, January 12, 2025.
[5] X.com/Ebtesam777, January 13, 2025.
[6] X.com/adhamsharkawi, January 11, 2025.