The Israeli prime minister says the money that facilitated Qatar’s shipment to Gaza was recommended by Israeli security agencies for humanitarian purposes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted about bombing Qatar, while dismissing domestic accusations that funds sent to Gaza were used for anything other than aid. In an interview with Israel’s i24NEWS that he shared on social media on Saturday, Netanyahu said Qatar was a “hostile” state that did not dictate Israeli policy during its genocidal war in Gaza. Recommended List of 3-item storiesend list “I attacked Qatar, I bombed it too and I attacked them during the war, and they attacked me,” Netanyahu boasted. The interview comes just days before the one-year anniversary of Israel’s September 9, 2025 attack on Doha. The bombing killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security official during a meeting to discuss the proposed US-backed ceasefire in Gaza. Qatar, which has long served as a mediator in conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, has hosted Hamas’s political office since 2012, after what it says were requests from the United States. Doha condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms,” and Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called it a “cowardly” assault. Several countries in the region, including Iran and Pakistan, also condemned the attack, and leaders from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia visited Qatar shortly after in a show of solidarity. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attacks a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Jassim Al Thani apologized for the attack. During the interview with i24NEWS, Netanyahu also defended the transfer of millions of dollars in Qatari funds to Gaza that Israel had facilitated, saying that the funds were intended for humanitarian purposes and had been transferred on the recommendation of Israeli security agencies Mossad and Shin Bet. “All this money is worth 2 percent – 2 percent of all the money that came into the Strip,” the prime minister said. used to help Hamas prepare for its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which precipitated its genocidal war in Gaza. Qatar denies such allegations, saying any claims that it funds Hamas are unfounded and pointing to the strict oversight that governs its aid transfers. [Israel] “All of our aid … went to Gaza, it went to the people and it was under a very transparent process that the United States is fully aware of.” He faces growing domestic pressure over his government’s handling of the Gaza war, the economy and the war with Iran, all of which are emerging as central campaign issues. Analysts and critics say Netanyahu has repeatedly stoked tensions with other states ahead of elections to drum up nationalist support.
