Netanyahu boasts about bombing Qatar, says Gaza funds used for aid

While dismissing domestic accusations that funds sent to Gaza were employed for anything other than aid, israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted regarding bombing Qatar.

Key points

• Some of Netanyahu's detractors have alleged that the funds were applied to assist Hamas prepare its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
• The interview comes just days before the one-year anniversary of Israel's September 9, 2025, strike on Doha.
• Netanyahu created the remarks weeks before Israelis head to the polls on October 27, in the country's first general election since its war on Gaza began in 2023.
• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a "flagrant violation" of Qatar's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• "Today, when they are claiming that this is the financing of Qatar to Hamas, it has no basis, " Sheikh Mohammed remarked during last year's Doha Forum.

In an interview with Israel's i24NEWS that he shared on social media on Saturday, Netanyahu remarked Qatar was a "hostile" state that did not dictate Israeli policy during its genocidal war on Gaza.

"I attacked Qatar, I also bombed it and attacked them during the war, and they attacked me, " Netanyahu boasted.

Notably, the interview comes just days before the one-year anniversary of Israel's September 9, 2025, strike on Doha. The bombing killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer during a session to discuss the United States-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.

After what it notes were requests from the US, qatar, which has long served as a mediator in Middle East conflicts and beyond, has hosted Hamas's political office since 2012.

Doha condemned the strike as a "blatant violation of all international laws and norms", with Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari calling it a "cowardly" assault.

Meanwhile, a number of countries in the region, including Iran and Pakistan, additionally condemned the attack, with leaders from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia visiting Qatar shortly afterwards in a show of solidarity.

During a session afterwards that month at the White House, Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump called Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to apologise for the strike.

During the i24NEWS interview, Netanyahu additionally defended the transfer of millions of dollars in Qatari funds to Gaza that Israel had facilitated, saying the funds were intended for humanitarian purposes and had been transferred on the recommendation of Israeli security agencies Mossad and Shin Bet.

"All this money is worth 2 percent – 2 percent of all the money that entered the Strip, " the prime minister remarked.

Some of Netanyahu's detractors have alleged that the funds were applied to assist Hamas prepare its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. It precipitated its genocidal war on Gaza.

Qatar denies such allegations, saying any claims that it funds Hamas are unfounded and pointing to the strict oversight governing its aid transfers.

"All our aid. Went to Gaza, went to the people, and was under a very transparent process that the United States is fully aware about."

With the October vote approaching, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home over his government's handling of the Gaza war, the economy and the war with Iran – all shaping up as central problems in the campaign.

Analysts and critics say Netanyahu has repeatedly stoked tensions with other states ahead of elections to rally nationalist backing.

For now, netanyahu boasts about bombing Qatar, says Gaza funds used for aid remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.