Documents Show Israel's Direct Role in Qatar's Nearly $2 Billion Gaza Payments

Previously undisclosed documents, including letters from senior Israeli security officials, show that Israel played a more direct and extensive role in facilitating Qatari payments to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly acknowledged[1][3]. These payments, totaling nearly $2 billion over more than a decade, were revealed on October 18, 2026[1][3].

This information emerges just days before Israeli voters head to the polls on October 27, 2026[3][4]. The revelations challenge Netanyahu's public narrative on a policy central to his government's strategy toward Gaza.

What the Records Show

Letters obtained by TIME reveal the extent of Israel's involvement in the Qatari payment program[1][3]. These documents indicate Israel's encouragement and direct participation[3]. One such document is a 2020 letter from Yossi Cohen, then director of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, to Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani[3]. In the letter, Cohen expressed gratitude for Qatar's efforts, stating, "It is indeed a great opportunity to express our gratitude and appreciation for the humanitarian aid efforts that the State of Qatar has provided the last few years to the Gaza Strip"[3]. He added, "Undoubtedly, these humanitarian efforts have played a role in improving the humanitarian situation within the Gaza Strip, and ensuring stability and safety in the region"[3]. This correspondence confirms that the payment arrangement had the support of successive Israeli governments[3]. The Qatari payments were intended for humanitarian assistance, fuel, and government salaries[3][6]. In 2018, after Israeli officials publicly criticized Qatar for allegedly funding Hamas, the Qataris requested formal documentation of the payment arrangement[3].

Timeline

Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007[9][10]. Netanyahu's government began to facilitate Qatari payments to Gaza starting in 2012[3]. By 2018, Qatar had transferred approximately $1.1 billion to the Gaza Strip[3][6]. Over more than a decade, the total amount funneled into Gaza reached nearly $2 billion[3].

What the Subject Has Said Publicly

As Israeli elections approach on October 27, Prime Minister Netanyahu has attempted to both defend and distance himself from the policy of facilitating Qatari payments to Gaza[3][4]. His office previously disputed a TIME fact-check concerning the timeline of Qatari funding[5]. Netanyahu's office claimed that Qatari funding was permitted starting in 2007, shortly after Hamas took over Gaza, and continued under all subsequent governments, including his own[5]. However, the TIME report stated that direct Israeli government involvement in Qatari financial transfers began in 2014, under Netanyahu's approval[5]. The Prime Minister's Office maintained that everything Netanyahu said on the matter was true and that a reporter had "misled TIME readers"[5].

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the full contents of all "previously undisclosed documents" referenced by TIME[1][3]. The specific names of all "senior Israeli security officials" who wrote letters to Qatari leaders, beyond Yossi Cohen, also remain unconfirmed[1][3].