Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing renewed criticism after an investigation claimed that Israeli intelligence repeatedly warned him about Qatari money reaching Hamas’s military wing before the October 7 attack.
According to an investigation by Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu received information that Hamas was diverting part of the Qatari funds allowed into Gaza to support its armed forces. One intelligence assessment reportedly estimated that the diverted funds accounted for as much as half of Hamas’s military budget at the time.
The investigation also claimed that Egypt warned Netanyahu about the flow of Qatari money to Hamas. At the same time, Israeli intelligence reportedly identified a separate covert channel through which Qatari-linked funds reached the group’s military wing.
Netanyahu Received Warnings About Qatari Funds
According to the investigation, Israeli officials briefed Netanyahu about the alleged diversion of Qatari funds several times. A former senior intelligence official told the publication that the security establishment shared its information on the issue with the prime minister.
The report said Netanyahu received at least two specific warnings. Then-Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman reportedly raised the issue with him in 2019. Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate reportedly issued another warning in 2020.
The controversy centres on Qatari cash transfers to Gaza that began in 2018. At the time, Netanyahu’s government supported the arrangement. Officials presented the money as humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians. They also expected the funds to help prevent a humanitarian crisis and maintain calm in Gaza. However, intelligence assessments cited by Yedioth Ahronoth indicated that Hamas diverted some of the money to its Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Hamas Allegedly Diverted $4 Million a Month
The investigation cited information that a senior Military Intelligence officer later provided to Israel’s state comptroller. According to the report, Hamas diverted around $4 million every month between at least 2019 and 2021.
The officer also estimated that Hamas’s military wing operated with an annual budget of between $70 million and $100 million. These findings have now raised fresh questions about Israel’s handling of the Qatari funding arrangement and the intelligence warnings that officials reportedly received before the October 7 attack.
Covert Qatari Funding Channel Allegedly Identified
The investigation also described a separate funding route that allegedly sent money from Qatari sources directly to Hamas’s military wing. The report identified the alleged channel by the codename “Panther’s Eye”. It operated separately from the cash transfers officially approved for Gaza.
Israeli intelligence reportedly believed that wealthy Qatari individuals provided the money rather than the Qatari government directly. However, intelligence officials reportedly assessed that the transfers could not have continued without approval from Doha.
The investigation did not establish the exact amount transferred through this alleged channel. Estimates cited in the report ranged from around $100 million to several hundred million dollars.
Netanyahu and Qatar Reject Allegations
Netanyahu’s office rejected the investigation and described its claims as allegations that had already been dismissed.
His office said Israel’s security leadership supported the Qatari grants because they were intended to provide humanitarian assistance. It also said officials believed the funds could help maintain stability in Gaza.
Qatar also rejected the allegations.
Its International Media Office said Doha had “never provided money to Hamas” and argued that its assistance went to Palestinian civilians through arrangements coordinated with Israel and international organisations.
Qatar further said that any money that may have reached Hamas outside those arrangements had no connection to the Qatari government.
It also accused Israeli political figures of using Qatar as a “scapegoat” ahead of Israel’s election.
Netanyahu Faces Fresh Political Criticism
Despite the denials, the investigation has triggered fresh criticism from Netanyahu’s political opponents.
Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot said the reported findings strengthened the case for creating a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding October 7.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also criticised Netanyahu over the policy involving Qatari funding.
Meanwhile, opposition figures Avigdor Liberman and Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of ignoring security warnings related to the Qatari funding policy.
The controversy has therefore renewed debate over Israel’s approach to Gaza, the use of Qatari financial assistance and the security assessments made in the years leading up to the October 7 attack.