Israel's Netanyahu Says Qatar Funds Hamas, Strike "Justified"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that a strike against Hamas officials in Qatar last week was "justified" by the Gulf state's ties to the group.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Qatar has financial and harboring connections with Hamas.
Jerusalem:
In a press conference on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended last week's strike against Hamas officials in Qatar as "justified," citing the Gulf state's relationships with the militant group.
"Qatar maintains connections to Hamas, provides them sanctuary, and finances their operations. They possess significant leverage but have chosen not to use it," Netanyahu declared. "Therefore our action was completely justified."
This unprecedented military operation targeting a Hamas meeting in Doha marked Israel's first such strike on Qatar, a fellow US ally.
According to Hamas and Israeli sources quoted by national media, the bombing resulted in six fatalities, though none were the high-ranking Hamas officials Israel had intended to eliminate.
Qatar, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, has long provided sanctuary to Palestinian militant group leaders whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the ongoing Gaza conflict.
The Gulf nation has played a crucial mediating role in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, including discussions regarding the release of 251 Israeli hostages captured during the Palestinian militants' assault.
Between 2018 and 2023, with the approval of Netanyahu's cabinet, Qatar provided monthly financial aid and assistance to Hamas-governed Gaza totaling millions of dollars.
Earlier this year, Israeli media disclosed that two of Netanyahu's assistants were under investigation by the Shin Bet internal security agency for allegedly accepting payments from Qatar.
This controversy, known as "Qatargate," raised concerns about potential Qatari influence within the prime minister's Office.
Netanyahu, who provided testimony in the March investigation, dismissed it as a "political witch hunt".
Israeli media reports have connected the cabinet's removal of Shin Beth director Ronen Bar and attempts to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to their involvement in the investigation.
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