A recording of former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen praising Qatari money transfers to Hamas aired Monday morning on Kan Reshet Bet.
The recording, obtained by Kan News, is of remarks made during a closed conference held in June 2022, in which Cohen referred to the actions led by Qatar in Gaza and Israel as a "blessing."
In the recording, Cohen is heard praising the Emir of Qatar, whom he described as "a young man who was quickly promoted and is leading Qatar with a firm hand."
According to Cohen, Qatar is "a country that helped us maintain quiet in Gaza thanks to the suitcases of dollars that were transferred. We also received criticism for this, but it’s largely thanks to this man."
Since 2012, Qatar has directly paid Hamas about $2 billion; there is evidence that no small amount of this Qatari money went directly to Hamas’ military wing. Some of it even paid the salaries of terrorists responsible for the rape, kidnapping, and murder of Israelis on October 7, 2023.
Diary entries from former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh detail Qatari participation in Hamas’ offensive military budgeting in the run up to October 7. Qatar’s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his foreign minister were sometimes directly involved.