Exclusive: Documents Show How Israel Steered Qatari Payments to Gaza

As Israeli citizens prepare for their upcoming elections on October 27, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been under pressure to address and distance himself from a controversial policy involving Qatar's financial support to Gaza. Detailed documents, recently obtained by TIME, reveal that the Israeli government actively encouraged and played a direct role in a payment program that extended beyond what Netanyahu had previously acknowledged.

The program, initiated in 2012, involved Qatari funding of around $1.1 billion, designated for humanitarian assistance, fuel, and government salaries in the Gaza Strip. This assistance was meant to help the citizens of the region, but Israel's involvement in the payments became a subject of scrutiny when Qatar demanded formal documentation of the agreement to provide relief to the Gaza Strip's inhabitants.

The extent of Israel's cooperation with the payments became clear in a 2020 letter from Yossi Cohen, then the head of Israel's Mossad, to Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Cohen expressed gratitude for the humanitarian aid efforts provided by Qatar, stating that these efforts had played a crucial role in improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza and ensuring stability in the region.

The payment arrangement received support from successive Israeli governments, the Palestinians, the Trump and Biden Administrations, the United Nations, and European powers. Since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas terrorists on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 others, the significance of the financial lifeline from Qatar has increased.

This tragic event has raised questions about whether the financial support sustained Hamas's grip on power, thereby enabling the group to carry out the assault.

Since the attack, Qatar has been frustrated by allegations from Israeli political leaders that its financial assistance to Gaza had contributed to financing the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Qatar firmly denies these claims, stating that all financial aid and supplies passed through Israel before reaching Gaza, and that it provided the assistance while being coordinated with Israeli authorities and international partners.

The spokesperson for Qatar's International Media Office emphasized that Hamas did not receive any direct financial aid from Qatar, and any allegations that funding reached Hamas are the responsibility of Israel, which oversaw the delivery and created the mechanism.

Critics have long suspected that Netanyahu's intention was to maintain Hamas's rule in Gaza to keep the Palestinians divided between Hamas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. This strategy was believed to prevent the emergence of a unified Palestinian leadership capable of negotiating a two-state solution. Despite this, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, disrupting the region's stability and leading to a war.

The Prime Minister's office declined to comment on this story. The documents provide Israelis with a more comprehensive understanding of a policy that preceded the recent catastrophe, as they prepare to decide on Netanyahu's government. One former Israeli defense official noted that the policy failure, driven by good intentions, resulted in multiple prime ministers continuing the program.

However, Netanyahu is seen as the central figure in championing and accelerating the initiative, with his government responsible for its execution. Now, the nation must acknowledge the consequences of a mistake they can never afford to repeat.