Published on 06/09/2026 – 13:15 GMT+2
In an interview with Israel’s i24NEWS, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed claims that Qatar had influenced Israeli policy during the war in Gaza. He described Qatar as a “hostile state” but clarified that it had not dictated Israeli decisions.
“Qatar is a hostile state, but Qatar is not a state that dictated anything here,” Netanyahu stated.
He also referenced Israel’s attack on Doha the previous year, remarking: “I attacked Qatar — I also bombed it.”
The September 2025 strike targeted senior Hamas officials who were in Doha as part of negotiations over a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal.
Six people were killed, including a member of Qatar’s security forces, while Hamas reported that its senior negotiating team survived. Qatar strongly condemned the attack as a violation of its sovereignty.
Later that month, Netanyahu issued an apology to Qatar during a joint call with US President Donald Trump and the Qatari prime minister, stating that Israel would not undertake such an attack again.
Netanyahu made these latest remarks to defend his government regarding the transfer of Qatari funds to Gaza prior to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
He asserted that the funds were designated for humanitarian purposes and that the transfers had been endorsed by Israeli security agencies.
Qatar has consistently denied financing Hamas, maintaining that its aid was delivered to Palestinians in Gaza through mechanisms known to both Israel and the United States.
There was no immediate public response from Doha to Netanyahu’s recent statements.
Qatar pushes back against Iran over attacks
These comments emerged as Qatar and Iran found themselves at odds over the details of Iranian missile and drone attacks on Qatari territory.
On Friday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari accused Tehran of selectively using a Qatari security document to bolster its claim that Iranian attacks had primarily targeted US military facilities.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had referenced a Qatari security assessment prepared for the International Telecommunication Union, arguing it demonstrated that Iranian strikes were aimed at US military sites rather than civilian areas.
Baghaei claimed the document showed that nearly all attacks had targeted US facilities, with the sole exception of a strike on gas facilities at Ras Laffan in March. He alleged that the facilities hit there had been supporting US military operations against Iran.
Al Ansari dismissed Iran’s interpretation, stating that Tehran was misrepresenting the document.
“If the Iranian side wishes to reference official documentation, we invite it to refer to the record formally submitted by the State of Qatar to the United Nations,” he said.
He highlighted Qatari submissions to the UN that documented Iranian missiles flying over civilian, commercial, and residential zones, noting that earlier attacks had resulted in damage and casualties.
Al Ansari also pushed back against Iran’s characterization of the Ras Laffan attack as “alleged,” emphasizing that the strike had been formally documented by Qatar.
“The State of Qatar is not a party to this conflict,” he asserted, adding that attacks on Qatari territory and civilian infrastructure could not be considered legitimate responses.
Qatar also dispatched letters to the UN Secretary-General and the president of the Security Council on Friday, rejecting Iran’s legal justification for the attacks that commenced on 28 February.
Doha maintained that Tehran bears responsibility under international law and that Qatar reserves the right to defend itself and pursue compensation for the damage incurred.
Qatar has affirmed it will persist with diplomatic initiatives aimed at easing regional tensions.
