Qatar: Israel Responsible for Any Money Reaching Hamas

Qatar's Foreign Ministry has issued an unusually forceful official statement categorically rejecting claims that the country transferred funds directly to Hamas. The statement comes in response to an investigation published in The New Yorker, asserting that all aid was directed to the Palestinian population in Gaza solely through full coordination with Israeli authorities and international partners.

"All financial assistance, along with food, medicine, fuel, and other essential goods, passed through Israel before entering the Strip," the statement reads. "No money was transferred to any entity without Israel's knowledge and involvement at every stage of the process."

Doha added that if funds reached Hamas, sole responsibility lies with Israel, which supervised the entry of aid throughout the tenure of various prime ministers, from Benjamin Netanyahu and Yair Lapid to Naftali Bennett, through security mechanisms including Mossad and the Shin Bet.

Qatar also sharply attacked the investigation itself, claiming it was designed to damage its reputation as an international mediator. According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, far-right elements in Israel have spread documents over the years in an attempt to attribute baseless claims to Qatar in order to undermine its central role.

The investigation and Qatar's response bring back to the surface the involvement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's associates, Yonatan Urich, Yisrael Einhorn, and Eli Feldstein, in what has become known as the "Qatar Affair."

According to central investigative materials in the case, Urich and Feldstein worked in coordination with Einhorn to clear Qatar's name of responsibility for terror financing and present it as the preferred mediator for a hostage deal, including through the dissemination of pro-Qatari and anti-Egyptian messages in Israeli media.

In one of the exposed communications, it was explicitly written: "Need to brief how to trust the friends." The affair continues to roil the political system and leaves heavy question marks surrounding behind-the-scenes conduct.

Hostages Square (Photo: Yehuda Glickman)

It should be noted that various initiatives attempting to pressure Qatar have been revealed in the past. According to an investigation published in Haaretz, on the sixth day of the Iron Swords War, a secret WhatsApp group was organized with approximately 30 senior figures, political advisers, campaigners, and public opinion experts, who attempted to run an international campaign against Qatar as a Hamas financier. The initiative moved quickly: dedicated websites in foreign languages, social media accounts, and presentations, but after a month of intensive volunteer activity, the project faded and was shelved.