Classified security documents revealed Sunday evening in a Channel 13 investigative report shed light on 2021 negotiations surrounding an alternative mechanism for transferring Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, after the Bennett-Lapid government halted cash-filled suitcases from entering the Strip, an alternative plan based on fuel purchases from Egypt was pushed forward.
The newly exposed documents focus on late 2021 and do not capture the full scope of the funding framework as it evolved over the years. The investigation notes that Qatari financial aid began in 2018 during Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure and continued under various structures through the Bennett-Lapid administration and following Netanyahu’s return to power in late 2022.
Upon taking office in July 2021, then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pledged to end the delivery of Qatari cash suitcases to Hamas. Roughly three months later, direct cash transfers were halted, and a new funding apparatus was devised.
At the center of negotiations was Qatari envoy Mohammed Al-Emadi, referred to in Israeli defense documents by the codename "The Diamond Dealer." According to the report, Al-Emadi served as a key liaison, maintaining ongoing discussions with Egypt, Hamas, and the Israeli government.
On October 17, 2021, Al-Emadi informed Israel that an alternative structure had been found to fund salaries for senior Hamas officials. Under the scheme, Qatar would purchase $10 million worth of fuel from Egypt, which would be delivered directly to a Hamas-owned company without oversight - allowing the terror group to use sales revenues or saved capital to cover payroll.
Concurrently, the Qatari envoy requested that Israel raise the monthly quota of Gaza workers permitted to enter Israel for employment to 30,000. Al-Emadi subsequently met with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar before conferring with the then-Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian.
The investigative report cited a document summarizing the defense establishment's insights following the Sinwar meeting: "'The Diamond Dealer' paints a positive picture in the Gaza Strip - both on the security and civilian fronts - and notes that the fuel procurement mechanism, meant to replace the Hamas civil servant grant, has been agreed upon by all parties." According to the documents, on October 19 - just one day after the Sinwar meeting - the Israeli government approved moving forward with the fuel-based transfer mechanism.
Another document quoted in the report noted "widespread satisfaction with the current civilian policy and the emerging solution." Overall, the files outline the extensive dialogue conducted during that period among Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and Hamas regarding the arrangement.