In a startling revelation, Israeli media on Sunday reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had discovered documents in Gaza, which suggest a long-standing, intimate relationship between the Qatari government and the terrorist organization Hamas.
The documents reportedly include conversations and letters from some of Hamas's most senior leaders, including the late political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar. These communications span from 2017 to 2022, a period during which Saudi Arabia led a Gulf nation blockade of the Qatari economy in response to Doha's close ties with Iran, a known state sponsor of terrorism.
According to Breitbart, the documents reportedly reveal that the emir of Qatar was involved in fundraising for the jihadists. One 2019 communication from Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh described Qatari funds as the group's 'main artery,' with financial transfers totaling millions of dollars each month.
This was reportedly approved by Israel as part of temporary de-escalation understandings. In one letter, Haniyeh confirmed to Sinwar that the highest levels of the Qatari government had agreed to fundraise $11 million for the jihadist organization.
The documents also suggest that Qatar was aiding Hamas in undermining efforts by the Trump administration in 2019 to normalize relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. In a meeting in June 2019, Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met with Hamas leaders to discuss concerns over Trump's peace plans and the normalization of relations with Israel.
"We need to cooperate in order to resist the deal of the century and thwart it," Hamas official Khaled Mashaal reportedly told the emir, referring to the Trump plan.
The documents also allegedly reveal Qatari efforts, at the request of Hamas, to sideline Egypt's diplomacy and expand Doha's influence in any negotiations to end the conflict between the jihadists and Israel. Sinwar reportedly wrote in a 2021 letter that Egypt was "attempting to restrain the escalation" between Hamas and Israel, which he opposed.
"We caused them to leave the picture with empty hands. In their place, the Qataris came, and we gave them an opportunity to dictate the fruits of diplomacy," he allegedly wrote.
During much of the time covered by the documents, Qatar was under an economic blockade by many of its Gulf neighbors, led by Saudi Arabia, due to its increasingly close relationship with Iran.
The blockade was lifted in 2021, and Qatar was welcomed back into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in anticipation of it hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This allowed for senior Gulf leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to visit the country and publicly embrace its leadership.
The Qatari government also sought to improve its relations with the Trump administration during the president's second term. In May, Trump became the first American president in history to visit Qatar, where he received a lavish welcome and signed several agreements with the government.
Following that visit, Qatar's potential gift of a Boeing 747 aircraft to replace the current Air Force One became a contentious issue, with President Trump announcing that Doha would give the plane "FREE OF CHARGE" and criticizing Democratic opponents for questioning the agreement. The Qatari government later clarified that talks regarding the jet were still ongoing and that reports of a gifted jet were inaccurate.
These revelations underscore the complex and often covert relationships that exist between governments and extremist organizations. They also highlight the challenges faced by nations like Israel in their ongoing struggle against terrorism, and the role of countries like Qatar in potentially exacerbating these challenges.
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