Unpublished Documents Reveal Israel's Role in Qatar-Gaza Aid Mechanism

Previously unpublished documents reveal Israel's direct involvement in the mechanism for transferring funds from Qatar to the Gaza Strip, and Israeli requests to maintain it even while senior Israeli officials publicly criticized Doha. According to a TIME magazine investigation, based on official correspondence and testimonies from senior Israeli, American, and Arab officials, Israeli governments have for years helped build, operate, and maintain the Qatari aid arrangement for the Hamas-controlled Strip. One prominent document revealed in the investigation is a letter sent in 2020 by then-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to the Emir of Qatar, Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani. Cohen expressed gratitude for Qatar's humanitarian aid to Gaza, stating it played a "crucial role in improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and ensuring stability and security in the region." Another letter from the same year, sent by an official identified as R.L. Maoz from the National Security Council, explicitly requested the continuation of payments, emphasizing the importance of ongoing Qatari financial aid through the existing mechanism and via Ambassador Mohamed al-Emadi, Chairman of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza.

According to TIME, these communications reflect a discrepancy that angered Qatar: senior Israeli officials publicly condemned Doha for funding Hamas while privately requesting continued financial transfers. A former Trump administration official described this behavior, which the investigation suggests led Qatar to demand written documentation of Israel's role in the arrangement in 2018. Qatar began transferring funds to Gaza after Hamas took control in 2007. By 2012, the Netanyahu government had approved a mechanism giving Israel a direct role in aid delivery, including approving food and medical equipment, determining eligible families for financial aid, and enabling Qatari funding for electricity expansion. This cooperation was later formalized with Israel, Qatar, and the UN. An agreement was signed on October 2, 2018, for funding fuel shipments to the Strip. In August 2021, Qatar committed $40 million to a program providing $100 per month for four months to nearly 100,000 Palestinian households, with arrangements later extended. Diplomats involved stated Israel vetted recipients and supervised distribution, with funds transferred via the World Food Programme.

In a July 2019 letter, Qatar informed the Netanyahu government of a $6 million transfer to 20,000 recipients selected by Israel, with each receiving $300. The magazine notes it is unknown how many were linked to Hamas or had family members in the organization. In response to the investigation, Qatar blamed Israel for any potential diversion of funds to Hamas, stating all Qatari financial aid was directed to Palestinian civilians through mechanisms coordinated with Israeli authorities and international partners. A spokesperson for Qatar's International Media Office asserted that if any funds reached Hamas, Israel, which supervised the transfer and created the mechanism, bears responsibility.

Testimonies accompanying the documents suggest that in 2023, Qatari officials sought to change the aid method to reduce civilian dependence on both Hamas and the Israeli government. However, according to several sources, including a senior Israeli official and an international diplomat, the Netanyahu government sought to maintain the existing framework. About two weeks before the October 7th attack, Mossad chief David Barnea visited Doha and requested a renewal of funding, as previously reported by The New York Times. According to TIME's details, Qatar agreed but warned it would be the last extension, while Barnea requested an additional two months. Sources familiar with the conversation indicated the rationale was that continued aid would give Hamas something to lose, thereby providing Israel leverage.

The arrangement continued under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who had been a strong critic of it as a minister in the Netanyahu government. After becoming Prime Minister, Bennett stopped the cash-in-briefcase deliveries but continued the Qatari aid. A former senior official in the Biden administration stated that Qatar was preparing to end the program at that time. An official present at a meeting between an Israeli representative and an American envoy conveyed the Israeli message: "We want to continue this as is." Critics of Netanyahu argue this policy helped maintain Hamas's rule and the division between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, a claim Netanyahu has previously rejected. In a 2024 interview with TIME, he stated the aid was intended to ensure a functioning civil administration in Gaza and prevent humanitarian collapse. The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on the current investigation. The documents do not prove that aid funds directly financed the October 7th attack but provide further documentation of a policy based on the assumption that civilian aid would help maintain stability and restrain Hamas. A former senior defense official told TIME, "It was a policy failure on our part, born out of good intentions, which several prime ministers continued. But Netanyahu was undoubtedly at its center. He was the one who advanced and accelerated the program, and his government was responsible for how it was managed."