To Preserve the Gaza Deal, Keep Qatar at Arm’s Length

Qatar is already backsliding just days after pressuring Hamas to clinch a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. During his annual address to Qatar’s legislative body on October 21, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani accused Israel of “continued breaches of the ceasefire in Gaza” without blaming Hamas for provoking Israeli action. At no point did Al-Thani mention Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 people, which dragged Israel into war two years ago. Rather than working with the United States to facilitate Hamas’s disarmament, Doha appears to be signaling a return to obstruction, with the apparent goal of securing Hamas’s position in Gaza.

Qatar’s Ongoing Relationship With Hamas

Qatar’s relationship with Hamas predates the current war and even Hamas’s reign over Gaza. Qatar offered sanctuary to Hamas leaders in 1999, when Jordan expelled the group from its soil. At that point, Hamas chose to relocate to Syria, but the relationship between Hamas and Doha continued and intensified after the terrorist group seized control of Gaza in 2007. In 2012, former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani was the first world leader to visit Gaza under Hamas rule. He pledged $400 million in assistance to the enclave. The same year, Hamas opened a political office in Doha.

Qatar has since pumped approximately $1.8 billion into Gaza as Hamas leaders amassed personal fortunes in Doha. Additionally, Israeli troops have uncovered documents in Gaza indicating that a “discreet” funding channel existed between Qatar and Hamas. One of them, a 2021 communique between Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar, suggests that Qatar’s emir had “agreed in principle” to fund Hamas’s military operations and that $11 million had already “been raised from the emir.”

A Deal Gets Done

In the lead-up to the October 10 ceasefire deal, there were indications that Qatar was prepared to take a step back from Hamas, its longtime client. In July, Qatar did an about-face and signed a declaration condemning Hamas’s October 7 massacre and calling for Hamas to disarm and “end its rule in Gaza.” Previously, Qatar’s prime minister told Israeli media in January 2025 that Doha would support Hamas returning to power in Gaza so long as that was the “decision” of the Palestinian people. After Israel’s September 9 strike on Hamas operatives in Doha, Qatar appeared to pick up the pace, turning the screws on Hamas, and ultimately helping push a deal across the finish line.

Moving forward, Qatar is expected to play a role in ensuring that Donald Trump’s 20-point plan is implemented, beginning with the release of the remaining hostages’ bodies, the disarmament of Hamas, and the end of the group’s Gaza reign.

Beware of Qatar’s Role in Postwar Gaza

Qatar may have compelled Hamas to accept Trump’s plan, but, if Al-Thani’s October 21 speech is any indication, the emirate is slumping back into its old, unproductive ways. Israeli and Arab officials are now warning against a serious Qatari role in postwar Gaza, and Washington should take heed. On October 20, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for involving “Qatar and Turkey, who now influence Gaza.” Earlier, a Saudi diplomat told Israel Hayom that, “Excessive Qatari involvement in the next stages of the plan and Gaza’s reconstruction will cause Trump’s plan to collapse” because Qatar “will undermine deradicalization efforts and try to ensure that Hamas remains in the picture and returns to power in the not-so-distant future.”

Trump said on October 21 that, “There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right,” but, “If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL.” Allowing Qatar into Gaza is more likely to lead to Hamas’s survival than its destruction. To see his Gaza peace plan through, Trump should keep Qatar at arm’s length from the enclave.

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.