Qatar denies funding Hamas after Israeli report claims Netanyahu ignored warnings over Gaza aid

Qatar's International Media office denied reports that the nation provided funding for Hamas in Gaza in the form of "humanitarian aid" in an official statement on Friday, claiming that "these allegations are being promoted by elements of Israel’s far right and political figures in an attempt to deflect attention from domestic political failures and portray Qatar as a convenient scapegoat."

The report in question was published earlier on Friday by Ronen Bergman of the Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth. Bergman claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned repeatedly in 2019 that Qatari funds were being used to fund Hamas's military branch. 

The report also included quotes from several prominent Israeli politicians, including Together Party leader and former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yashar Party leader and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, reacting to the news and censuring Netanyahu's behavior.

'Netanyahu was the one who consistently supported offensive measures in Gaza'

The Prime Minister's Office responded to the report, calling it "a collection of recycled lies that have already been disproven in the past." The PMO also claimed that the report was an attempt at sabotaging Netanyahu's re-election campaign ahead of the October 27 elections.

Additionally, the PMO claimed that the previous government was responsible for Qatari funding of Hamas.

"With the outbreak of Operation Guardian of the Walls, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed that the Qatari grant be stopped immediately," the statement said. "The Bennett-Lapid government restored it. Contrary to the claims, Prime Minister Netanyahu was the one who consistently supported offensive measures in Gaza and never restricted the security establishment.”

The Qatari International Media Office response stated plainly that "Qatar has never provided money to Hamas," noting that it did provide assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza in coordination with Israeli authorities and international collaborators. Like the PMO, the Qatari IMO claimed that the Yedioth Ahronoth report was election-related - an attempt to distract the Israeli public "from their domestic shortcomings" as elections approach. 

"Qatar has no interest in becoming involved in Israel’s domestic politics," the statement read.

Netanyahu has been accused several times of overlooking Qatari funding of Hamas in Gaza, including in October 2025 when KAN News reported that a 2020 document signed by a former senior official at the National Security Council revealed how Israel encouraged Qatar to transfer money to the Gaza Strip, despite knowing that significant sums were reaching Hamas.

Netanyahu, who was also the prime minister at the time, defended the decision from 2018 to push Qatar to give money to Gaza, according to the report.

Qatar signs agreement with UN to bring 1.3 million liters of fuel to Gaza

On Thursday, Qatar signed an agreement with the United Nations to deliver about 1.3 million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip.

According to Doha, the move continues Qatar’s aid program for the Gaza Strip. The statement said that Qatar had supplied Gaza with approximately 30 million liters of fuel from October 7, 2023, until the end of March 2026.

Amit Avitan and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.