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Qatar’s International Media Office issued a detailed statement rejecting reports that the Gulf state had provided money directly to Hamas. The office said Qatari assistance targeted Palestinian civilians in Gaza and operated through transparent mechanisms developed with Israeli authorities and international partners including United Nations agencies. All financial transfers together with shipments of food, medicine and fuel passed through Israel prior to entry into the enclave, according to the statement, and delivery was managed exclusively by United Nations organizations under Israeli supervision. The office added that these arrangements had received explicit approval from successive Israeli governments spanning multiple prime ministers and had involved coordination with Israeli security agencies.
The statement described documents cited in a September 19 New Yorker article as fabricated and said Qatari officials had supplied the magazine with evidence of their inauthenticity before publication. It accused elements within Israel’s far right and affiliated political figures of sustaining a years-long disinformation effort that included the creation and circulation of false materials intended to portray Qatar as a Hamas financier. The office maintained that such claims sought to shift focus from Israeli domestic political challenges in the lead-up to elections. Qatar further insisted it held no interest in intervening in Israel’s internal affairs.
The Qatari statement stressed that if any portion of the aid had reached Hamas outside the agreed channels, responsibility rested with Israel, which oversaw the entire process including under administrations led by Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. It noted involvement of agencies such as Mossad and Shin Bet at various points in the aid flow. The office reiterated that Qatar had never transferred funds to Hamas itself and that all support remained strictly humanitarian.
Israeli media have reported that Qatar transferred more than 1.8 billion dollars to Gaza over two decades, with monthly sums averaging 30 million dollars between 2018 and 2023, according to figures cited by The Times of Israel. Those transfers funded civil servant salaries, family stipends distributed through United Nations programs and fuel purchases for Gaza’s sole power plant, all with prior Israeli approval. The policy aimed to avert humanitarian deterioration in the coastal enclave while preserving relative stability along the border, a goal endorsed across multiple Israeli coalitions at the time.
The New Yorker report referenced internal Hamas communications seized by Israeli forces that allegedly described Qatari grants as the group’s main financial lifeline and linked the money to military infrastructure built ahead of the October 7, 2023 attack. Qatar dismissed those assertions as part of a broader campaign involving pro-Israel media outlets, lobbyists and research institutes. The International Media Office said similar materials had been presented to other publications in the past, many of which declined to use them after authenticity concerns emerged.
Qatar’s mediation role between Israel and Hamas dates back more than a decade and originated at the request of the United States, according to earlier statements by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The country continues to host Hamas political figures in Doha while facilitating indirect negotiations on cease-fires and hostage releases. The latest denial coincides with heightened scrutiny of Gulf financing networks, yet the International Media Office affirmed that its Gaza support would persist within established international and Israeli-approved frameworks.
