Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Qatar a "hostile state" in an interview with i24NEWS but denied that the country had influenced Israeli policy during the war in Gaza. "Qatar is a hostile state, but Qatar is not a state that dictated anything here," he said.
Netanyahu defended Israel's September 2025 air strike on Doha, which targeted senior Hamas officials involved in ceasefire negotiations. Six people were killed in the attack, including a member of Qatar's security forces, and Qatar condemned it as a violation of its sovereignty. Netanyahu later apologized to Qatar during a call with US President Donald Trump and the Qatari prime minister, saying Israel would not carry out such an attack again.
Netanyahu's comments came as he defended his government's approval of Qatari money transfers to Gaza before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. He said the funds were intended for humanitarian purposes and that Israeli security agencies had recommended the transfers. Qatar has repeatedly denied financing Hamas, saying its aid went to Palestinians in Gaza through mechanisms known to Israel and the United States.
Separately, Qatar's Foreign Ministry disputed Iran's interpretation of a security document regarding Iranian attacks on Qatari territory. Iranian officials had cited a Qatari security assessment prepared for the International Telecommunication Union to argue that Iranian strikes were directed at US military sites and did not target civilians. Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari rejected that interpretation, saying Iran was quoting the document out of context and pointing to UN submissions documenting Iranian missiles flying over civilian, commercial and residential areas.
Qatar sent letters to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council president on Friday rejecting Iran's legal justification for the attacks, which began on February 28. Doha said Tehran remained responsible under international law and that Qatar retained the right to defend itself and seek compensation for damage caused by the strikes.
