Full Breakdown
Netanyahu Labels Qatar Hostile, Boasts of 2025 Doha Strike Amid Election Campaign
9/6/2026, 10:12:24 PM
Netanyahu Calls Qatar Hostile and Boasts of 2025 Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told i24NEWS that “Qatar is a hostile state, but Qatar is not a state that dictated anything here,” and added, He framed the September 9, 2025 airstrike on Doha as a legitimate response during Israel’s war on Gaza. The remarks came as he defended his government’s handling of Qatari money transferred to Gaza before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Background: 2025 Doha Strike and Qatari Funds to Gaza
The September 9, 2025 strike targeted senior Hamas officials meeting in Doha to discuss a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal. Six people were killed, including a Qatari security officer; Hamas said its senior negotiating team survived.
In the same period, Israel facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in Qatari funds to Gaza. Netanyahu said the money, amounting to about 2 percent of all aid entering the Strip, was transferred on the recommendation of Israeli security agencies (Mossad and Shin Bet) for humanitarian purposes. Qatar’s foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani rejected allegations that the aid financed Hamas, describing the claim as “without basis.”
Official Statements & Responses
- “Qatar is a hostile state, but Qatar is not a state that dictated anything here,” — Benjamin Netanyahu, israeli prime minister
- Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari rejected Iran’s interpretation of a Qatari security document, stating that Iran was quoting it “out of context” and inviting Tehran to refer to the formal UN submission.
- In response to Iran’s claim that its missiles targeted only U.S. facilities, Al-Ansari said the strikes had also hit civilian, commercial and residential areas, and that Qatar had formally documented the Ras Laffan gas-facility attack.
- “Today, when they [Israel] are claiming that this is the financing of Qatar to Hamas, it has no basis,” — Sheikh Mohammed
What’s Next
Qatar has sent letters to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council president on February 28 rejecting Iran’s legal justification for its attacks and asserting its right to self-defence and compensation. The Israeli election on October 27 will test whether Netanyahu’s hard-line messaging translates into electoral support.
