Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had received warnings that Qatari money was being transferred into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas in the years before October 7, according to a Tuesday N12 report.
According to the report, Netanyahu had received at least two warnings regarding where the Qatari money was being transferred to, which was found to be sent into the Gaza Strip.
The N12 report also echoed comments by former chief of staff MK Gadi Eisenkot to The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
Further, the report said that the money from Qatar was being transferred into Gaza in suitcases filled with cash.
The reason behind Qatar's decision to transfer money into Gaza was attributed to a desire to preserve an appearance of peaceful ties with Israel. This was done with Israel's knowledge, and even encouragement at times, the report said.
Netanyhu's first warning
According to the report, the first warning that Netanyahu received of the money transfer in Gaza took place in mid-2019, less than a year after the Qatari funds began entering the Strip.
The warning allegedly informed Netanyahu that Mohammed Deif, the Hamas military head at the time, was taking the Qatari money and transferring it to the terror group.
Each cash installment amounted to ten million dollars, the report noted.
Netanyahu's second warning
The second incident in which Netanyahu was warned about a money transfer reportedly occurred in 2020.
The details of the incident involved Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) issuing a warning that Deif was taking four million dollars from each payment installment sent by Qatar.
Following this warning, a discussion was reportedly held, and it was recommended that a crisis situation with Qatar be simulated.
During this time, Qatar claimed they were unaware that Hamas was taking funds, and this resulted in the funds continuing to be passed along, the report said.
The report added that the flow of cash was stopped in November of 2021 when Hamas began paying officials using Egyptian fuel funded by Qatar.
Response to the report
The N12 report also claimed that three sources familiar with the matter had confirmed these details.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) reportedly rejected the claims that Netanyahu had received such warnings.
"No intelligence document was ever placed on the prime minister’s desk stating that Qatari grant money was transferred to terrorism. On the contrary, security bodies consistently determined that the Qatari grant money was transferred directly to fuel, needy families, and public servants’ salaries," the PMO said.
"The Prime Minister was informed that starting in March 2020, Hamas was diverting $4 million to its military wing from its civil budget sourced from other avenues, not from the Qatari grant, which continued to be provided for the defined purposes mentioned above," the PMO added.
