Documents Reveal Israel Encouraged Qatari Funding of Gaza Before October 7
By The Media Line Staff
Documents published Sunday by Time magazine show that Israeli governments led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actively encouraged Qatar to continue sending financial assistance to Hamas-controlled Gaza, using Israeli-supervised arrangements intended to alleviate humanitarian conditions and maintain stability before the October 7, 2023, attack.
The correspondence and interviews describe Israel’s involvement in a program that brought nearly $2 billion into Gaza over more than a decade, even as Israeli officials publicly accused Qatar of supporting Hamas.
Beginning in 2012, Israeli authorities helped determine which Palestinian families qualified for assistance and coordinated funding for fuel, electricity, and infrastructure. In 2018, Israel, Qatar, and the United Nations formalized an agreement financing fuel deliveries to Gaza.
In a 2020 letter, then-Mossad Director Yossi Cohen thanked Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the assistance, describing its contribution to regional stability.
Another letter, signed by National Security Council official Ronen Levy, known as Maoz, encouraged Qatar to maintain the established funding arrangements.
“We reiterate the importance of continuing to transfer the Qatari humanitarian financial assistance through the existing mechanism,” Levy wrote.
The program continued under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who halted deliveries of cash-filled suitcases in 2021 but permitted other assistance. Mossad Director David Barnea reportedly sought another extension in Doha shortly before October 7.
Critics argue that the payments helped sustain Hamas’ rule and potentially freed resources for military activities. The documents do not establish how much assistance, if any, was diverted directly to Hamas’ armed wing.
Netanyahu has defended the policy as necessary to prevent humanitarian collapse. Qatar denies financing Hamas’ military activities, maintaining that Israeli authorities and international organizations supervised the transfers.
Netanyahu’s office declined to respond to Time regarding its report. The revelations come nine days before Israel’s October 27 parliamentary election.
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
SRN News — View the original story at SRNNews.com.
