Renewed Qatari role in post-war Gaza, growing influence on Trump raise concerns in Israel

The peace plan for Gaza proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which is currently being partially implemented ahead of the expected hostage release late Sunday or early Monday, is raising concerns in Israel over the prominent role given to Qatar in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip at the end of the war. 

Previous Israeli plans for the “day after” had largely excluded the Gulf state due to its support for Hamas over the past decade and a half, in which the oil-rich emirate first hosted Hamas leaders in exile and eventually gave large cash donations, ostensibly to support the Palestinian economy in Gaza.

While the Israeli government had tacitly permitted the transfer of Qatari cash to the Gaza Strip before Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli intelligence indicated that the Qatari money was instrumental in allowing Hamas to build up its terror infrastructure in Gaza ahead of the deadly attacks. 

For that reason, Israeli security officials had ruled out any Qatari involvement in Gaza’s post-war rebuilding. However, following Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Doha last month – which prompted a sharp rebuke from President Trump – Qatar was swiftly restored to a position of prominence. The shift was most evident during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s subsequent visit to the White House, where President Trump reportedly pressed him to apologize to the Qatari prime minister for the strike and to pledge that Israel would refrain from similar actions in the future.

Since then, Qatar has been prominently mentioned in announcements related to the hostage-ceasefire deal, which is intended to become the basis for a broader Middle East peace initiative. 

Ynet News reported that Israeli officials are now urging “tighter supervision” of Qatari funds allocated for Gaza’s reconstruction, amid fears that waning Western attention could leave Qatar as one of the dominant actors in the rebuilding process. Given Qatar’s longstanding ties to Hamas and its support for Muslim Brotherhood–aligned governments and militant groups across the region, Israeli security officials fear that instead of being excluded from Gaza’s post-war administration, Hamas could be quietly rehabilitated through Qatar’s renewed influence.

A security official told Ynet News, “Qatar and certainly Turkey must not regain any foothold in Gaza."

"The Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan hate Hamas and genuinely care about the Palestinians," he said. "Qatar funded Hamas for years before Oct. 7 with those millions of dollars in cash Israel allowed into Gaza each month. There’s no guarantee that money won’t again fuel Hamas’ military wing rather than civilian recovery projects.”

Some analysts and Middle East observers have also pointed to the extensive business ties between Qatar and figures close to President Trump – including the Trump family, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner – warning that these connections could compromise the administration’s ability to objectively assess the risks of Qatari involvement in post-war Gaza.

Trump biographer Michael Wolff recently appeared on the “Inside Trump’s Head” podcast, claiming that Kushner’s involvement in the recent peace plan was partially due to his business interests in the region. 

Kushner “craves influence in the Middle East,” Wolff said. “He craves business opportunities in the Middle East. He craves further, deeper relationships with the powerful people in the Middle East, all of which is helped by peace. So peace becomes a byproduct of business.” 

Despite a high level of respect for the strong public support that Trump has shown Israel since returning to the White House, his equally strong backing of Qatar has raised concern, especially as it represents a sharp reversal from his 2017 statement, when he labeled Qatar a “funder of terrorism” and called for its diplomatic isolation.

President Trump: Qatar "Known as a Funder of Terrorism" pic.twitter.com/KFzWeU3toK

— Saudi Embassy USA (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) July 17, 2017

In a recent interview with Kan News, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar had placed pressure on the Gulf state. He also expressed hope that the United States would act as “a very strong guarantor” to ensure the peace plan’s success and prevent any rebuilding of Hamas.

“We want the plan to succeed,” Sa’ar told Kan, emphasizing that “there are conditions built into” the plan, which allow Israel to protect its interests. 

With Hamas already showing signs of reasserting its authority in Gaza following the IDF’s pullback on Friday, Israeli officials are expected to closely monitor the actions of both Hamas and Qatar in the coming days.