Haniya (left) and Mashal were mentioned by name by Israeli Defense Minister Montagem/Portal/Wikimedia Commons
While the civilian population of Gaza Strip is confronted with the consequences of the war he started Terror group Hamas against Israel, the organization’s political leaders continue to issue orders, to meet with heads of government and a luxurious life hundreds of kilometers from Palestinian territory. However, they have a target on their forehead.
Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this was the case Mossad, Israel’s secret serviceis determined to eliminate Hamas leaders.
“I have ordered the Mossad to take action against Hamas leaders wherever they are,” he said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant went further and named the names of Ismail Haniya and Khaled Mashal, senior leaders of the terrorist organization who live in Doha Qatar. “They work overtime all over the world; they are dead men.”
Last month, the American tabloid New York Post published a report saying that three Hamas leaders living in Doha amassed a combined fortune of US$11 billion (R54.1 billion).
“Hamas maintains an office in the Qatari capital Doha, and leaders Ismail Haniya, Moussa Abu Marzuk and Khaled Mashal lead lavish lifestyles. They have been seen at their diplomatic club, photographed on private jets and traveled extensively,” the report reads in part.
In October, hotel chain Four Seasons expelled Haniya from its facilities in Doha after a request from one of its major shareholders, American billionaire Bill Gates. Nevertheless, he has just moved to another luxury hotel nearby.
Qatar is a longstanding partner of Hamas and has pumped around US$1 billion (equivalent to R$4.92 billion at current exchange rates) into the Gaza Strip, mostly through humanitarian aid. Much of this money ended up in the pockets of the organization’s bosses.
The emirate’s government says it wants to transform Hamas into a “responsible governing force” but faces pressure from the United States, which has classified the group as a terrorist organization since 1997.
Politicians in the American Congress are working on a bill that would strip Qatar of its status as a major ally outside NATO (Western military alliance) the country is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, AlUdeid.
“I want President Biden to go after our allies like the Qataris and our military relationships and extradite these Hamas terrorists. We know they are there. And I would like to see that done in a very forceful way,” defended Congressman Max Miller, a Republican from Ohio, in an interview.
However, Netanyahu’s order to the Mossad to eliminate senior Hamas commanders raised alarm in the emirate where they are based.
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Israel had to guarantee that it would not commit murders on Qatari territory. “Doha presented its precondition to Israel a few weeks ago before assuming its role as mediator on the issue kidnapped” says the text.
The Mossad is known for assassinating enemies of Israel from many kilometers away. On January 19, 2010, one of Hamas’s leaders, Mahmoud alMabhouh, was found dead in the suite of a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to local authorities, AlMabhouh died of asphyxia. Shortly after police confirmed it was a murder, they suspected Israeli intelligence was the perpetrator.