Israel Unveils New Proof of Qatar and Hamas’s Close Collaboration

Despite longstanding evidence to the contrary, Qatar has long maintained that it is not a “sponsor of Hamas,” claiming that no “aid has ever been delivered to Hamas’s political or military wing.” But new documents discovered by the Israeli military in Gaza show even more collaboration between the Gulf nation and the terrorist group than previously known. Israel’s Channel 12 first reported the discovery on June 8.

In a document dated 2019, Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh reportedly told Qatar’s foreign minister that Doha was “Hamas’s main artery” for fundraising. Another reportedly details an undated meeting between Qatari intelligence officials and a Hamas representative to discuss potential Hamas training camps in Qatar and Turkey. The documents also suggest that Hamas collaborated with Qatar to oppose the first Trump administration’s Middle East agenda and position Qatar as Israel’s preferred mediator over Egypt.

Documents Suggest That Qatar Directly Funded Hamas Terrorism

In 2021, Haniyeh reportedly wrote to Yahya Sinwar, who masterminded the October 7 massacre against Israel, that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had “agreed in principle to supply the resistance discreetly but he does not want anyone in the world to know.” Haniyeh continued: “Until now, $11 million has been raised from the emir for the leadership of the movement.” Israel killed Haniyeh and Sinwar in July and October of 2024, respectively.

If true, this written understanding refutes Qatar’s assertions that it provided exclusively humanitarian aid and funding for civil projects in Gaza and that it does not subsidize Hamas’s military operations. The documents further buttress the Israeli Shin Bet security agency’s March 2025 finding that “the flow of money from Qatar to Gaza and its delivery to Hamas’s military wing” was one of the key reasons Hamas was able to amass offensive power ahead of October 7.

Qatar and Hamas Teamed Up to Derail U.S. Policy

The documents recovered in Gaza also indicate a coordinated effort between Qatar and Hamas to oppose the Abraham Accords and the first Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan, which Trump had dubbed the “Deal of the Century.” In June 2019 — 14 months before the Abraham Accords debuted — Al Thani reportedly told Hamas officials during an emergency meeting that Oman was open to normalizing relations with Israel. “Oman is on one side, and we are on the other side,” the emir said.

At the same meeting, Hamas chief Khaled Meshal encouraged Doha to “work together” with his group “to oppose the Deal of the Century and eliminate it.” Meshal is one of the few surviving members of Hamas’s politburo. He has been based in Qatar since 2012.

Washington Should Consider Revoking Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally Status

Successive American administrations have subscribed to the view that Qatar is a friend of the United States. Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. Doha also provides diplomatic services to Washington and enjoys the economic and defense privileges of its Major Non-NATO Ally status. But Qatar’s record of enabling terrorist groups is growing harder to ignore and should disqualify Doha from American friendship.

If anything, Qatar’s apparent effort to spoil the first Trump administration’s Middle East agenda should spur the current Trump administration to reconsider its Qatar policy. It is not too late to correct course, beginning with a review of Qatar’s Major Non-NATO Ally status. Washington should also consider replicating elsewhere in the region some of the capabilities and functions housed at Al Udeid Air Base.

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.