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Monday, September 21, 2026
Qatar: If any of our financial aid reached Hamas, it’s Israel’s fault
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Qatar firmly rejects allegations in a New Yorker article that money it had been sending to Gaza was being massively diverted to Hamas, including its military wing.
According to the article, which cited papers seized by Israel, a Hamas leader told Qatar’s foreign minister in 2019 that “the Qatari grant is the main artery of the Hamas movement,” a Hamas leader told Qatar’s foreign minister in 2019.
“The October 7th attacks revealed what Qatar’s money had helped buy,” the article continued, “Hamas forces assembled in a vast system of tunnels outfitted with ventilation systems, surveillance cameras, and communications networks; they emerged wearing body cameras and carrying antitank missiles.”
In a statement, Qatar says the article is part of “a broader disinformation campaign” against the emirate, adding that there is evidence of far-right Israeli involvement in the anti-Qatar campaign.
Qatar says all the aid it sent to Gaza went through “mechanisms coordinated with Israeli authorities and international partners.”
“Under these aid mechanisms, all financial assistance, along with food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies, was routed through Israel before entering the Gaza Strip,” the statement continued. “None of this aid was allowed entry without the involvement of Israeli authorities at various stages of the process.”
Qatar stresses that its aid was coordinated with successive Israeli governments with three different prime ministers. “Any funds that may have reached Hamas are not the responsibility of the State of Qatar, but rather Israel, which oversaw their delivery,” says Qatar.
Those spreading the “false allegations” are trying to spread “chaos and division” in the region, Qatar alleges.
Statement by the International Media Office of the State of Qatar in response to false allegations published by The New Yorkerhttps://t.co/Q2Rg1tfT0c pic.twitter.com/I5kiecpY67
— Qatar's International Media Office (@IMO_Qatar) September 21, 2026
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