Did Qatar Just Take a Step Back From Hamas?

This week’s UN conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulted in a rare moment of international unity. On July 29, 17 countries, the European Union, and the Arab League, signed a declaration calling for Hamas to disarm and “end its rule in Gaza.” In place of Hamas, the declaration calls for “the deployment of a temporary international stabilization mission” to Gaza “upon invitation of the Palestinian Authority and under the aegis of the United Nations.” Qatar and Saudi Arabia — two countries that have historically been at odds with one another — signed the declaration, as did Egypt, which has been mediating Gaza ceasefire talks alongside Qatar.

The seven-page declaration also condemned Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre, rendering the Arab signatures particularly noteworthy. Doha originally held “Israel alone responsible” for Hamas’s mass slaughter and has continuously placed the onus on Israel to end the multifront war that followed. Saudi Arabia’s reaction to Hamas’s assault was more subdued, but the kingdom released a statement on October 7 recalling its “repeated warnings of the dangers” of Israeli policy. France, which co-chaired the UN conference with Saudi Arabia, described the July 29 declaration as “historic and unprecedented,” noting that “for the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas” and “call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance.”

Qatar’s Historic Support for Hamas

Prior to the current war, Qatar pumped hundreds of millions of dollars annually into Gaza. A portion of the aid subsidized Hamas government salaries and was transferred to Gaza with Israel’s approval. However, Israel’s Shin Bet security agency now assesses that “the flow of money from Qatar to Gaza and its delivery to Hamas’s military wing” allowed Hamas to build up its forces ahead of October 7. Moreover, documents that Israeli troops discovered in Gaza suggest that a “discreet” funding channel existed between Qatar and Hamas. In one document from 2021, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly told October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani had “agreed in principle” to fund Hamas’s military operations and that $11 million had already “been raised from the emir.”

Meanwhile, Hamas has maintained a political office in Doha since 2012. The office remains open, and Hamas officials reportedly continue to operate freely in Qatar. 

Until Now, Qatar Failed to Condemn Hamas

In the aftermath of October 7, Doha continued to side with Hamas. In his September 2024 speech before the UN General Assembly, Qatar’s Emir accused Israel of “the most barbaric and heinous and extensive” crimes and of “waging war on Lebanon.” He did not mention that Hamas killed and kidnapped its way through southern Israel on October 7, nor did he name Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon that began raining rockets and drones on northern Israel on October 8, 2023. In January, Doha signaled that it would support Hamas returning to power in Gaza so long as that was the “decision” of the Palestinian people. Hence, by affixing its signature to the July 29 declaration, Qatar appears to be taking a step back from the terrorists it long sponsored.

An Opportunity for the Trump Administration

When it comes to Gaza, Washington must ensure that Doha doesn’t take one step forward and two steps back. The July 29 declaration calls for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power as part of a broader framework for establishing “a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.” Given Qatar’s historic relationship with Hamas, Washington mustn’t take Doha’s commitment to defanging the group for granted. Instead, the United States should encourage Qatar to change its Hamas policy regardless of what progress is made toward Palestinian statehood.

The Trump administration should seize this moment and demand that Qatar shutter Hamas’s Doha office, expel Hamas leaders, and close off any remaining financial arteries to the terrorist group. The administration should also request that Doha extradite to the United States any Hamas leader facing federal terrorism charges who remains in Qatar.

Natalie Ecanow is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Natalie and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Natalie on X @NatalieEcanow. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on foreign policy and national security.