How an Israeli cell orchestrated an anti-Qatar campaign | Hamas News
A recent report from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reveals that a group of Israeli influence experts and political advisers initiated a covert campaign aimed at Qatar shortly after the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. This initiative sought to apply pressure on Qatar regarding its ties to Hamas but was reportedly halted before it could gain significant traction.
According to Haaretz, the effort began days following the assaults in southern Israel, with the principal objective of launching a global public influence campaign against Qatar. The campaign was motivated by the hope that international pressure could compel Doha to persuade Hamas to release the 251 individuals taken hostage to Gaza during the attacks.
The project involved approximately 30 participants, including political advisers and specialists in influence operations and psychological warfare. A WhatsApp group named “Free the Kidnapped” was created shortly after the events of October 7. The identities of those who established the operation remain undisclosed.
Describing the campaign as a “civilian initiative,” Haaretz noted skepticism from some analysts. Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, remarked that it is unlikely such a campaign could exist independently of Israeli motivations. He cited a similar campaign against Qatar that he has tracked over the past three years, suggesting that the recent effort was either suspended or transferred to another entity for operational cover.
Qatar has played a pivotal role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel since the onset of the recent conflict in Gaza. Despite direct engagements between Israeli officials and Qatari representatives, tensions have persisted. In September 2022, Israeli forces conducted a missile strike in Qatar, targeting a Hamas negotiating team, which resulted in the deaths of six individuals, including a Qatari national. The attack drew condemnation from various international actors, including France and the United Kingdom. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later issued an apology for the incident.
In the months following the strike, Israel and Hamas reached a “ceasefire” agreement, which has since been described as having been violated multiple times by Israel. Since October 2023, Israeli military actions have reportedly resulted in over 1,300 Palestinian fatalities in Gaza, marking a troubling escalation in violence.
In addressing accusations of financial support to Hamas, Qatari officials have consistently maintained that their aid is intended strictly for humanitarian purposes and is subject to rigorous oversight. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani reiterated last year that all aid is transparently directed to aid the people of Gaza, asserting that Israel has facilitated these processes.
Doha has been hosting Hamas’s political office since 2012, a decision that followed a request from the United States. The recent Haaretz report also disclosed that, during the campaign, members of the WhatsApp group exchanged messages questioning the extent of Qatar’s financial support to Hamas and made troubling comparisons between Hamas and ISIS. Participants reportedly mobilized resources to raise donations, create promotional videos, engage journalists, and establish an online presence, including a website and social media accounts.
However, the campaign was abruptly discontinued about a month after its inception, with one participant acknowledging, “After a while, it was shut down. We stopped dealing with the Qatar campaign. I never heard anything more about the campaign.”
