Qatar’s prime minister has dismissed allegations that Doha finances Hamas, insisting the country’s support for Gaza is strictly humanitarian and carried out with the knowledge of the United States and successive Israeli governments.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, spoke during an interview with US commentator Tucker Carlson at the Doha Forum 2025. He said Qatar’s engagement with Hamas began more than a decade ago at Washington’s request to help maintain communication channels and support ceasefire efforts.
“The starting of the relationship with Hamas… was started back more than 10 years… at the request of the United States,” he said, adding that the group’s office in Doha existed only to facilitate communication, ceasefire mediation and aid deliveries to Gaza.
He said claims that Qatar bankrolls Hamas “have no basis” and overlook the oversight structure governing aid transfers. According to him, all Qatari aid went directly to civilians in Gaza through a transparent process known to US officials. He also said successive Israeli governments approved and coordinated aid delivery.
Sheikh Mohammed argued that political attacks on Qatar misrepresent its mediation role.
“We have seen a lot of efforts ongoing for years now based on disinformation and spreading lies and false information about Qatar in order to hurt the relationship between Qatar and the United States,” he said.
He stressed that Qatar will continue humanitarian support for Palestinians but will not cover the cost of rebuilding areas destroyed by Israeli military operations.
“We will continue supporting the Palestinian people. We will do whatever to alleviate their suffering, but we are not the ones who are going to write the check to rebuild what others destroy,” he said.
He added that Qatar would not allow Palestinians to be left without support, saying they “are not helped, or they are not funded.”
A ceasefire mediated by Türkiye, Egypt and Qatar, with US backing, took effect on Oct. 10. It halted a two-year Israeli war that has killed more than 70,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,000 others since October 2023.