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

Israeli PM says wealth helium facilitated Qatar successful sending to Gaza was recommended by Israeli information agencies for humanitarian purposes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted astir bombing Qatar, portion dismissing home accusations that funds sent to Gaza were utilized for thing different than aid.

In an interrogation with Israel’s i24NEWS that helium shared connected societal media connected Saturday, Netanyahu said Qatar was a “hostile” authorities that did not dictate Israeli argumentation during its genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

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“I attacked Qatar, I besides bombed it and attacked them during the war, and they attacked me,” Netanyahu boasted.

The interrogation comes conscionable days earlier the one-year day of Israel’s September 9, 2025, strike connected Doha. The bombing killed 5 Hamas members and a Qatari information serviceman during a gathering to sermon the United States-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.

Qatar, which has agelong served arsenic a mediator successful Middle East conflicts and beyond, has hosted Hamas’s governmental bureau since 2012, aft what it says were requests from the US.

Doha condemned the onslaught arsenic a “blatant usurpation of each planetary laws and norms”, with Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari calling it a “cowardly” assault.

Several countries successful the region, including Iran and Pakistan, besides condemned the attack, with leaders from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia visiting Qatar soon afterwards successful a amusement of solidarity.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strikes a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

During a gathering aboriginal that period astatine 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 besides defended the transportation of millions of dollars successful Qatari funds to Gaza that Israel had facilitated, saying the funds were intended for humanitarian purposes and had been transferred connected the proposal of Israeli information agencies Mossad and Shin Bet.

“All this wealth is worthy 2 percent – 2 percent of each the wealth that entered the Strip,” the premier curate said.

Some of Netanyahu’s detractors person alleged that the funds were utilized to assistance Hamas hole its October 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel, which precipitated its genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

Qatar denies specified allegations, saying immoderate claims that it funds Hamas are unfounded and pointing to the strict oversight governing its assistance transfers.

“Today, erstwhile they [Israel] are claiming that this is the financing of Qatar to Hamas, it has nary basis,” Sheikh Mohammed said during past year’s Doha Forum.

“All our assistance … went to Gaza, went to the people, and was nether a precise transparent process that the United States is afloat alert about.”

Netanyahu made the remarks weeks earlier Israelis caput to the polls connected October 27, successful the country’s archetypal wide predetermination since its warfare connected Gaza began successful 2023.

With the October ballot approaching, Netanyahu faces mounting unit astatine location implicit his government’s handling of the Gaza war, the system and the warfare with Iran — each shaping up arsenic cardinal issues successful the campaign.

Critics and analysts person agelong accused Netanyahu of stoking tensions with overseas states up of elections to rally nationalist support.