Daijiworld Media Network - Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Sep 6: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boasted about Israel’s bombing of Qatar while defending his government’s role in facilitating the transfer of Qatari funds to Gaza, amid domestic allegations that the money may have benefited Hamas.

In an interview with i24NEWS shared on social media Saturday, Netanyahu described Qatar as a “hostile” state and said Israel’s policies during the Gaza war were not dictated by Doha.

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

His remarks came days before the first anniversary of Israel’s September 9, 2025, strike on Doha, which targeted Hamas leaders meeting to discuss a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal. The attack killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer.

Qatar has long played a mediating role in Middle Eastern conflicts and has hosted Hamas’s political office since 2012, reportedly at the request of the United States.

Doha strongly condemned the Israeli strike as a violation of international law and its sovereignty. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari described the attack as a “cowardly” assault.

Iran and Pakistan also condemned the bombing, while leaders from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia visited Qatar shortly afterwards in a show of solidarity. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attack a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Later that month, Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump called Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani from the White House to apologise for the strike.

During the i24NEWS interview, Netanyahu also defended the transfer of millions of dollars in Qatari funds to Gaza, saying the money was intended for humanitarian purposes and was transferred on the recommendation of Israel’s Mossad and Shin Bet security agencies.

“All this money is worth 2 percent – 2 percent of all the money that entered the Strip,” Netanyahu said.

Critics of Netanyahu have alleged that some of the Qatari funds may have helped Hamas prepare for its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war.

Qatar has rejected allegations that it funds Hamas, saying its assistance was strictly monitored and intended for Gaza’s civilian population.

“All our aid … went to Gaza, went to the people, and was under a very transparent process that the United States is fully aware about,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the Doha Forum last year.

Netanyahu’s comments come ahead of Israel’s October 27 general election, the first national poll since the Gaza war began in 2023.

With the election approaching, Netanyahu is facing growing domestic pressure over his government’s handling of the Gaza war, economic conditions and the conflict with Iran. Analysts and critics have accused him of repeatedly escalating tensions with regional states ahead of elections in an effort to strengthen nationalist support.