Documents obtained by the IDF during operations in Gaza have revealed significant collaboration between the Qatari government and Hamas, including covert financial support and joint efforts to hinder U.S.-led peace initiatives, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday eveving.

The documents outline how Qatari financial aid served as a critical lifeline for Hamas and enabled it to carry out the October 7 massacre.

In one letter, Haniyeh informed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that the Emir of Qatar had pledged to covertly support the group’s armed resistance. “So far, $11 million has been raised by the Emir for the leadership,” the document states.

In a 2019 meeting between senior Hamas and Qatari officials, then-Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said that the “Qatari grants are Hamas’s main artery.”

The documents also expose attempts by Qatar and Hamas to weaken Egypt’s influence in Gaza while bolstering the roles of Turkey and Iran in regional affairs.

Additional intelligence reveals direct meetings between Hamas members and Qatari intelligence officials to coordinate specialized military training in Qatar and Turkey.

The documents also disclose that Qatar and Hamas collaborated in efforts to oppose then-President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century.” Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani held an emergency meeting with Hamas leaders over the matter, warning that some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, may normalize ties with Israel.

Khaled Mashal said: “We must work together to oppose and thwart the Deal of the Century.”

Additionally, Hamas made efforts to replace Egypt’s influence over Gaza with Qatar, with Yahya Sinwar asserting that Doha was more aligned with Hamas’s goals.

Following Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, Sinwar wrote to Haniyeh: “Egypt had been working to contain the escalation, but we pushed them out of the process, leaving them empty-handed. In their place, Qatar stepped in, and we allowed them to shape the outcome of the diplomacy.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)