The covert arrangement was first established during a 2011 secret meeting in Paris between Benjamin Netanyahu and his Qatari counterpart. Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi delivered suitcases filled with millions of US dollars directly into Gaza with full authorization from the Israeli government, overriding Shin Bet concerns and military alternatives. When the Gulf state attempted to halt the payments in 2020, Israel successfully dispatched intelligence leadership to convince Doha to resume the transfers. The operations also involved the Qatari envoy distributing costly gifts to personnel across multiple Israeli security and intelligence agencies.
Key points
Israeli security officials issued repeated warnings that the cash pipeline was actively s…: Israeli security officials issued repeated warnings that the cash pipeline was actively strengthening and expanding Hamas's military power.
Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to persuade Qatar to restart payme…: Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to persuade Qatar to restart payments after attempts to secure alternative funding from Saudi Arabia and the UAE failed.
The covert funding pipeline operated continuously from 2011 until 2023 to maintain stable…: The covert funding pipeline operated continuously from 2011 until 2023 to maintain stable relations despite internal domestic pushback.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
An Israeli Channel 12 News investigation has revealed that the Israeli government sought to ensure that Qatar continued transferring funds to the occupied Gaza Strip before 7 October 2023, despite warnings from security officials that the money was strengthening Hamas.
The report details how Qatar became instrumental to Israel's policies in the besieged enclave over the past 15 years.
The policy, spearheaded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between 2011 and 2023, involved Qatari officials transferring tens of millions of US dollars in cash to the Gaza Strip in an effort to maintain stable relations between Israel and Hamas.
The investigation describes a process in which Israeli government and security officials asked Qatar to transfer the funds, while senior military officers reportedly received expensive gifts from Doha.
According to the report, the close connections between Qatar and Israel over Gaza were first discussed in 2011, during a secret meeting organised by then French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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