Qatar Slams Israel Over Hamas Funding Claims

Qatar has issued a strong rebuttal to allegations that it transferred funds to Hamas, as reported in a New Yorker investigation. In an official statement, Qatar's Ministry of International Communications stated that aid provided to Gaza was intended for Palestinian civilians and entered the Strip through mechanisms coordinated with Israel and international partners. Qatar emphasized that "nothing was transferred without Israeli involvement at every stage of the process," asserting that funds, along with goods like food, medicine, and fuel, passed through Israel before reaching Gaza. The statement further noted that this aid has been provided for years under various Israeli governments and with the involvement of Israeli security agencies.

The Qatari response comes in the wake of the New Yorker article, published September 19, which focused on the "Qatargate" affair and connections between advisors to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar. The article also raised claims about Qatari money reaching Hamas.

Doha contends that the New Yorker investigation relied on fabricated documents and that the magazine was provided with information proving this prior to publication. Qatar accused certain parties, including elements within the Israeli right-wing, of orchestrating a campaign to portray the country negatively. These claims originate from Qatar and are not independent findings presented in the article.

Background to the controversy includes an Israeli investigation suggesting that Israeli intelligence agencies warned before October 7 that some funds transferred to Gaza had reached Hamas's military wing. According to that report, Prime Minister Netanyahu was informed of this information. However, his office dismissed these claims as "recycled lies," stating that security officials had previously supported the Qatari grant mechanism for civilian and humanitarian needs.