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Qatar rebuffs Hamas funding accusations and refuses to pay for Gaza’s reconstruction
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has firmly rejected accusations that his country financed Hamas, insisting that all Qatari assistance to Gaza was transparent and approved by both the United States and Israel. Speaking at the Doha Forum, he described such claims as politically motivated and aimed at undermining Qatar’s mediation role in the region.
The prime minister explained that Qatar’s contacts with Hamas began at the request of Washington more than a decade ago, when the group relocated its office to Doha in 2012. The purpose, he said, was to facilitate ceasefire talks and humanitarian coordination rather than forge a political alliance. “Our support has always gone directly to the people of Gaza and under full oversight from our partners,” he declared.
No funding for Israeli destruction
Sheikh Mohammed stressed that while Qatar would continue humanitarian aid for Palestinians, it would not finance the rebuilding of Gaza after Israel’s military campaign. “We will do all we can to ease their suffering, but we will not pay for what others destroyed,” he said, calling for accountability rather than unconditional funding.
He drew comparisons to the war in Ukraine, noting that international pressure there targeted Russian assets to fund reconstruction. “When it comes to Israel, however, the logic changes,” he observed, pointing to what he described as a clear double standard in global responses. The United Nations estimates the cost of rebuilding Gaza at around 70 billion dollars, given that nearly three-quarters of its infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
Trump’s response to the Doha attack
The Qatari leader also condemned Israel’s September 9 strike in Doha that targeted Hamas officials during a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire meeting. Describing the attack as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and diplomatic norms, he revealed that former U.S. president Donald Trump reacted with anger and surprise. “President Trump asked one of his advisers to call us immediately, expressing his frustration and assuring us that such an act would not happen again on our soil,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The incident highlighted growing tensions between Qatar and Israel at a time when Doha continues to act as a key mediator between conflicting parties in the Gaza crisis.
