At height of Gaza war, PM met secretly with ex-Mossad official working for Qatar — report

By Lazar Berman

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, is surrounded by security personnel during a campaign appearance at a market in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 22, 2026, ahead of the country’s general election. (AP Photo/ Ariel Schalit)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met secretly with the most senior Israeli on Qatar’s payroll months after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion, in the thick of the Gaza war, Channel 12 reports.

The Israeli, identified only by his first Hebrew initial “Shin” and nicknamed “the prince of the Mossad,” was a top official in the spy agency before retiring and working for Qatar’s influence campaign in Israel.

During the meeting, which allegedly took place in the summer of 2024, Shin asked Netanyahu to rein in several Likud ministers — Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer — who had been attacking Qatar publicly, the network reports.

The meeting was kept secret from others, including then-Mossad director David Barnea, according to Channel 12, and it did not appear in any official protocols.

Shin had previously arranged a meeting between top Netanyahu aides Yisrael Einhorn and Jonathan Urich and senior Qatari diplomat Ali al-Thawadi, a confidante of Qatar’s emir, according to the report. Einhorn and Urich are also suspects in the Qatargate affair.

Police investigators from the Lahav 443 major crimes unit interrogated Urich about setting up the meeting between Netanyahu and Shin. Urich told investigators that he did not remember any such request, and that Shin did not need him in order to reach the prime minister.

Netanyahu was questioned on March 31 for two hours by police about Urich’s involvement in Qatargate and a second scandal, the passing of classified information to the German Bild outlet, in which Urich was also implicated.

Urich was investigated about Shin in May, and police have sought since then to bring Netanyahu back for a second round of questioning. He has not agreed, Channel 12 reports.

Netanyahu himself is not a suspect in the Qatargate and classified documents cases. But they have been major issues in the campaign ahead of Tuesday’s election.