Israel Facilitated Nearly $2 Billion in Qatari Aid to Gaza, Report Reveals

By חדשות כיפה

Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba

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An investigation by TIME magazine reveals that the Israeli government, under Prime Ministers Netanyahu and Bennett, actively facilitated nearly $2 billion in Qatari aid to Gaza over more than a decade. Documents show Israel managed the distribution of funds, approved recipients, and even had security officials transport cash. While publicly criticizing Qatar, Israel privately urged continued payments for regional stability. Critics suggest this policy aimed to divide Palestinians, a claim Netanyahu denies, stating the aid prevented humanitarian crises. The report surfaces amid Israel's "Qatargate" investigation and efforts by former US officials to devise a new Gaza reconstruction plan.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Israel's government actively facilitated nearly $2 billion in Qatari aid to Gaza, managing its distribution, according to a TIME magazine investigation.
Documents show Israeli officials, including Mossad chiefs, expressed gratitude to Qatar for aid that improved regional stability.
The aid program, which began in 2007, involved Israel approving recipients and overseeing fund distribution, especially from 2012 onwards.
Israeli security officials reportedly transported cash in suitcases to Gaza between 2018 and 2019.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett continued the aid program after taking office in 2021, albeit with modified transfer methods.
Weeks before October 7, 2023, Mossad Chief Dedi Barnea sought and received a final two-month extension for Qatari funding.

Israel Facilitated Nearly $2 Billion in Qatari Aid to Gaza, Report Reveals — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

An extensive investigation by TIME magazine has uncovered official documents and testimonies indicating the Israeli government's direct role in facilitating nearly $2 billion in Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip. The exposed materials, including letters of gratitude from Mossad chiefs and appeals from senior National Security Council officials for continued transfers, suggest Israel actively encouraged the program and managed its distribution on the ground, despite public criticism of Qatar.

Qatar's involvement began in 2007 under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, initially without direct Israeli participation. However, starting in 2012 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government approved a system that gave Israel a direct role. This included approving food and medical supplies, vetting families eligible for $100 monthly stipends, overseeing fund distribution, and authorizing fuel financing and electricity expansion. By 2018, Qatar had transferred approximately $1.1 billion, and in October 2018, the arrangement was formalized in a trilateral agreement between Israel, Qatar, and the UN, supported by successive Israeli governments, the Palestinian Authority, the Trump and Biden administrations, the UN, and European powers.

Key documents revealed include a 2020 letter from then-Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen to Qatar's Emir, expressing thanks for humanitarian aid that "played a crucial role in improving the humanitarian situation... and ensuring stability and security in the region." Also revealed was correspondence from a National Security Council official in 2020 urging Qatari officials to continue aid through Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing its importance for stability.

Further reports detail the transport of cash in suitcases by Israeli security officials between 2018 and 2019, particularly when the Palestinian Authority reduced payments to Gaza. Although Netanyahu briefly froze payments in January 2019 as leverage to stop rocket fire, his associates worked behind the scenes to maintain them. In July 2019, Qatar announced $6 million for 20,000 beneficiaries selected by Israel.

The program persisted through Israeli government changes. When Naftali Bennett took office in 2021, Qatar prepared to end the program, but Bennett only halted the suitcase cash transfers, replacing them with a $40 million UN World Food Programme agreement in August 2021. An Israeli representative conveyed to a US envoy, "We want to continue with this as it is."

Just weeks before October 7, 2023, Mossad Chief Dedi Barnea traveled to Doha requesting a two-month extension of Qatari funding, which was granted with the warning that it would be the last. Critics argue this policy aimed to keep Hamas in power, maintaining Palestinian division and preventing two-state solution negotiations, a statement Netanyahu allegedly made in 2019. However, Netanyahu denied this in a 2024 TIME interview, claiming the payments were to prevent humanitarian collapse and disease. The Prime Minister's office declined to comment. The report also references the ongoing "Qatargate" investigation in Israel concerning alleged payments to Netanyahu's aides for a pro-Qatar public relations campaign post-October 7. Meanwhile, former Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are working with Qatar and other Arab nations on a new model for Gaza's reconstruction to reduce civilian dependence on Hamas or the Israeli government.