January 25, 2024, 2:28 p.m. GMT
Updated 30 minutes ago
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Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the Israeli prime minister's alleged comments were “irresponsible” but “not surprising.”
Qatar was “appalled” by statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he appeared to describe his role as a mediator in the Gaza war as “problematic”.
Israeli television reportedly aired a recording of Mr. Netanyahu telling the families of hostages held by Hamas: “You don’t hear me thanking Qatar.”
“They have influence because they finance [Hamas]” he reportedly adds.
Qatar said the comments were “irresponsible” but “not surprising” if they were true.
The tiny Gulf emirate has had high-level contacts with Israel since the 1990s, but diplomatic relations have never been formally established.
Qatar has long championed the Palestinian cause and is home to political leaders of Hamas, which is banned as a terrorist organization by Israel, Britain, the United States and other countries.
It has also provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Gaza, which has been under a crippling blockade by Israel and Egypt since 2006, when Hamas won parliamentary elections. The blockade was tightened the following year when Hamas strengthened its power in Gaza by forcibly expelling Palestinian Authority (PA) forces.
Since 2018, Israeli governments have allowed Qatar to pay the wages of tens of thousands of officials in the Hamas-run government in Gaza, provide financial support to the poorest families and finance fuel deliveries for the territory's only power plant. Qatar insists the funding was intended only for civil and humanitarian purposes.
The policy sparked controversy in Israel. Critics warned it was helping Hamas stay in power and finance its military activities.
After cross-border attacks on southern Israel on October 7 that killed about 1,300 people and returned 250 others to Gaza as hostages, he dismissed as a “big lie” allegations that he also encouraged the payments to strengthen Hamas Costs of the Palestinian Authority.
Israel responded to the attacks with a large-scale military campaign in Gaza aimed at destroying Hamas. More than 25,000 people were killed in the fighting, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Qatar used its ties with Hamas to engineer a week-long lull in fighting in late November, during which 105 Israeli and foreign hostages were released in exchange for about 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The emirate has been trying to negotiate a new ceasefire for weeks as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens and the Israeli government comes under increasing domestic pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
On Tuesday, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 released a recording in which Mr. Netanyahu told the hostages' families: “You don't hear me thanking Qatar. Did you notice that?”
“Why? Because for me it is essentially no different than the UN or the Red Cross and in some ways it is even more problematic – I have no illusions about them.”
“But I am now ready to use any actor who will help me [the hostages] Home,” he added.
Israel has accused the United Nations and the Red Cross of not doing enough to support the hostages or help secure their release.
The prime minister reportedly said the reason Qatar could help was to “influence” Hamas.
“Why do they have leverage? Because they fund them.”
“For months, and following a successful mediation last year that resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages, Qatar has been in regular dialogue with negotiating parties, including Israeli institutions, seeking to establish the framework for a new hostage agreement and its immediate implementation create an entrance for humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
He added that Mr. Netanyahu appears to be undermining mediation efforts “for reasons that appear to serve his political career.”
“One thing is certain: Qatar will not engage in the slightest in Gaza the day after the war,” he added.
There was no immediate comment from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, US President Biden is sending the CIA director to try to negotiate a new deal for the hostages held in Gaza, the BBC's US partner CBS has confirmed.
William Burns will meet the Qatari prime minister and directors of Mossad, Israel's secret service, in France.