Israel Secretly Facilitated Qatari Funds to Hamas Before October 7 Attack
A recent investigative report revealed confidential security discussions detailing how large sums of Qatari money were transferred to Hamas prior to the October 7 massacre. The documents, dating from late 2021 during the Bennett-Lapid government, expose a covert financial channel involving Qatari generals, intermediaries, and officials. Although Qatari funding to Hamas began in 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both then and now, led a strategy to weaken the Palestinian Authority while strengthening Hamas in Gaza.
In July 2021, with Bennett’s government starting, there was a promise to halt Qatari cash deliveries to Hamas. By October, Israel had stopped physical cash shipments but quietly established a new mechanism centered on a Qatari envoy nicknamed "the jeweler," Mohammed al-Amadi. Al-Amadi maintained direct contacts with Egypt, Hamas, and the Israeli government. On October 17, 2021, he informed Israel of an alternative payment method involving Qatar purchasing $10 million worth of fuel from Egypt, which would be transferred without oversight to a Hamas-affiliated company. Hamas could then use proceeds or saved funds to pay its senior officials.
Al-Amadi also requested Israel increase the number of Gazan workers allowed into Israel to 30,000 monthly. He met with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and later with the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, General Rassan Alyan. Israeli security assessments described the situation in Gaza as stable and approved the fuel purchase mechanism as a substitute for direct salary payments to Hamas officials. On October 19, 2021, Israel officially approved advancing this financial channel.
These documents provide rare insight into the behind-the-scenes coordination between Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and Hamas, revealing a well-oiled system for transferring Qatari funds to Hamas over several years. Following the October 7 attack, which killed 1,163 people, Qatar’s role has become a contentious issue in Israeli politics. Ahead of the 2026 elections, Netanyahu faces challenges over the "Qatar complication," while former Prime Minister Bennett, who cooperated closely with Qatar, now pledges to declare Qatar an enemy state. Other candidates propose reevaluating relations with Qatar, which continues to support Hamas and has yet to condemn the massacre.
