“They finance Hamas”
Netanyahu exposes Qatar as a mediator
January 25, 2024, 3:45 a.m
With agreements to release hostages from the Gaza Strip, Qatar has now earned a reputation as a reliable mediator. However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu does not agree with the international praise, on the contrary. People in the emirate reacted indignantly.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has drawn the emirate’s displeasure with critical statements about Qatar’s mediating role in the Gaza war. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in short message service X that it was “dismayed” by the statements attributed to Netanyahu by the media. “If these statements are indeed genuine, then they are irresponsible and harmful to efforts to save innocent lives.”
The Israeli channel 12 had previously reported on Netanyahu’s statements at a meeting with relatives of the hostages held in Hamas violence. According to the audio recording, the head of government said that he did not “thank” Qatar for its role as a mediator because the emirate was “even more problematic” than the United Nations or the Red Cross. “I have no illusions at all.” Qatar has the opportunity to put pressure on the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas, said Netanyahu. “And why? Because it funds them.” He was also “very angry” about a US decision to extend an agreement for a US military base in the emirate for ten years.
Hamas leadership lives in Qatar
Qatar plays an important mediating role in the war between Israel and Hamas. In November, the Gulf state, together with Egypt and the USA, facilitated a week-long ceasefire during which around a hundred hostages held in the Gaza Strip were released. Efforts are currently underway for a further ceasefire. Qatar has good connections to Hamas; the political leadership of the Palestinian organization lives in the Gulf state. Qatar has also sent hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip in recent years.
The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7th. That day, hundreds of fighters from the Palestinian organization, which the US and the EU have classified as a terrorist organization, entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and committed atrocities, mostly against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel began massive attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas’ latest figures, which cannot be independently verified, at least 25,700 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the Israeli offensive.