Arabic version: تقرير يكشف تفاصيل حملة إسرائيلية سرية ضد قطر

According to Al Jazeera, a group that included Israeli influence experts and political advisers ran a secret social media campaign targeting Qatar in the weeks following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks. Citing an investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Al Jazeera reported that the initiative was launched days after the attack and was later abruptly halted.

The reported campaign sought to build international pressure on Qatar over its relationship with Hamas. Haaretz said participants believed pressure could push Doha to influence Hamas to secure the release of the 251 captives taken to Gaza on October 7. About 30 people, including psychological warfare experts, were reportedly recruited. A WhatsApp group named Free the Kidnapped was set up several days after October 7, though Haaretz said the initiators’ identities were barred from publication.

Participants raised donations, produced videos, contacted journalists and organised media appearances, according to the report. They also created a multilingual website and social media accounts. Haaretz said a former Mossad official was among the group. Messages cited by the newspaper included a request for figures on Qatar’s alleged funding of Hamas and the phrase “Qatar-ISIS Ltd”. The slogan “Hamas is ISIS” was later used on the campaign’s website and Facebook profile.

Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that it was unlikely such a campaign could exist without the motivation of an actor like Israel. He said he had tracked an anti-Qatar campaign for the past three years that sounded similar, suggesting it may have stopped because it was being concealed or outsourced.

Qatar has been a key mediator between Hamas and Israel since Israel’s war on Gaza began. Doha has repeatedly denied allegations that it funds Hamas, saying its aid transfers are subject to strict oversight and are directed to people in Gaza. Qatari officials have said Hamas’s political office has been based in Doha since 2012 following a request from the United States. One participant told Haaretz the reported operation was shut down after about a month and that they heard nothing further about it.