Qatar has refuted Israeli claims linking its financial assistance to strengthening Hamas ahead of the October 7 attack. Shin Bet acknowledged its failure in preventing the assault and suggested Qatari funds aided Hamas militarily. Qatar maintained that its aid is overseen by Israeli authorities and has not supported Hamas’s military. It called for a focus on resolving the conflict rather than on diversionary accusations.
Qatar has firmly rejected allegations from Israel’s Shin Bet, the domestic security agency, which implicated Qatari funding in bolstering Hamas’s military wing prior to the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. In a statement released on March 5, 2025, Qatar’s International Media Office called these accusations unfounded and indicated that they were an effort by Israel to evade accountability for its own failures in preventing the assault.
In its report, Shin Bet recognized its inability to foresee the assault initiated from Gaza, which has since escalated tensions in the region. The internal investigation claimed that the flow of Qatari funds to Gaza had aided Hamas’s military preparations, allegedly facilitating the attack. However, Qatar emphasized that its humanitarian aid to Gaza was always conducted with transparency and was known to both current and past Israeli administrations, including their security agencies.
Qatar asserted that none of its aid has been funneled towards Hamas’s political or military structures. Since it began hosting Hamas’s political office in 2012, Qatar has faced accusations of supporting the group, which it has consistently denied, while simultaneously engaging in peace mediation efforts. These have included orchestrating temporary ceasefires between Hamas and Israel, often in collaboration with the United States and Egypt.
In closing, Qatar encouraged Israeli security agencies to prioritize the retrieval of hostages and strive for a sustainable resolution to the ongoing conflict. It criticized the diversionary nature of the accusations, advocating for a focus on substantial negotiations rather than unfounded claims.
Qatar’s rejection of Israel’s accusations underscores its commitment to humanitarian assistance in Gaza, which it asserts is conducted under oversight of Israeli authorities. Despite accusations of supporting Hamas since 2012, Qatar continues to mediate peace efforts in the region. Qatar’s call for Israeli security to focus on concrete conflict resolution reflects its desire for a more constructive approach in addressing the ongoing tensions.
Original Source: newscentral.africa
