On October 8, 2024, the Qatari daily Al-Sharq published an article titled "Let Us Celebrate the Heroism and Steadfastness of Gaza,” glorifying Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which approximately 1,200 Israelis were murdered and about 240 were taken hostage. The article, by Iraqi journalist Jassem Al-Shamari, described the October 7 attack as a heroic and well-considered operation that restored the prestige of the Muslim nation. It also praised the fighting tactics employed by Hamas' fighters, who "pounded Tel Aviv with their rockets" and "managed to hide dozens of Zionist hostages underground, while eliminating all traces of them."
This article exemplifies Qatar's unreserved support for Hamas and the virulently hostile position it takes against Israel, in stark contrast to its purported role as a neutral mediator between Israel and Hamas.[1]
The following are translated excerpts from Al-Shamari's article:[2]
Iraqi journalist Jassem Al-Shamari (Source: Al-Sharq, Qatar, October 8, 2024)
"… The Al-Aqsa Flood operation was a heroic Palestinian operation that emerged from the Gaza Strip and attacked the Zionist settlements that border the Strip. It was characterized by great precision, calculated timing, rare courage, great speed, operational organization and determination after the invasion!... Now that we have reached October 7, 2024, we are allowed to celebrate a year of steadfastness, heroism, sacrifice and the ability to fight on the battlefield!
"Today, after a year of Zionist attacks in which the enemy carried out hundreds of massacres against civilians, we see that [the Hamas military wing] the ['Izz Ad-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades are pounding Tel Aviv with their rockets and causing the Zionist sirens to ring out in the Zionist settlements! Every hour during the months of resistance, [the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad], the Jerusalem Brigades, announces a new operation as part of its confrontations with the enemy…
"It has been a year of tactics that have battered the enemy, during which the resistance fighters have managed to hide dozens of Zionist hostages underground, while eliminating all traces of them, in a tunnel war that astounded the countries of the world with its underground organization and planning!
"The Al-Aqsa [operation] instilled confidence [in the Palestinians] in their ability to confront the Zionist war machine!
"The Al-Aqsa Flood [operation] has restored the Islamic nation's prestige.
"The Al-Aqsa Flood [operation] revealed who is innocent and who is a swindler. It revealed who is a [true] friend and purged the ranks of traitors and spies!
"The Al-Aqsa Flood [operation] proved that courage can achieve the impossible despite [the Israeli] military arsenal!
"Congratulations to the people of Al-Aqsa, the people of Palestine and Gaza and all those who helped them, even with words! Let us celebrate Gaza and its heroism!"
[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 11611, Since Hamas' October 7 Attack On Israel, Qatar's Unreserved Support For Hamas, Incitement Against Israel, Continues On The Political, Media, Educational And Religious Levels, October 10, 2024; and MEMRI SPECIAL Dispatch No. 11601, Al-Jazeera And Other Journalists In Qatar On October 7 Anniversary: It Was A Magnificent Historic Day That Restored Our Nation's Honor, October 8, 2024.
[2] Al-Sharq (Qatar), October 8, 2024.
