Since Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and throughout the war that broke out in its aftermath, the state of Qatar, its media, and institutions affiliated with it have consistently expressed unreserved support for Hamas and for terror and armed violence against Israel. This support finds expression on all levels, in statements by officials and religious clerics, in the media and in the education system. Despite its ostensible role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, Qatar, which has for years sheltered Hamas leaders within its borders and funded this organizations with billions of dollars, has taken a blatantly pro-Hamas and anti-Israel line. This position was expressed by members of the royal family and by Qatari politicians. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the mother of the Qatari Emir and the chair of the Qatar Foundation, implied that Israel had fabricated reports about Hamas' atrocities, and accused Israel of spreading false historical narratives that "have taken over the collective mind of the world." Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Sheikha Hind, the Emir's sister and CEO of the Qatar Foundation, issued a statement in which she condemned Israel's "murder and destruction" in Gaza while making no mention of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. Qatari Shura Council member Essa Al-Nassr said that October 7 was the beginning of the end of the Zionist state, presenting this as a divine promise mentioned in the Quran. He added that there can be no peace with the Jews, because their faith condones "deception, the violation of agreements and lies" and they are "slayers of the prophets."
Al-Jazeera, Qatar's flagship media network, has been operating around the clock as a propaganda outlet in the service of Hamas, with hardly any coverage of other topics.[1] It expresses unreserved support for Hamas, justifying its October 7 attack, showing footage from it obtained from the terrorists' bodycams, and celebrating it as a victory that has brought pride and honor to the Islamic nation. The network has provided an unlimited platform for messages and threats by Hamas' leaders and spokespersons, and for their calls on Muslims worldwide to join the jihad against Israel. In fact, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar described Al-Jazeera as "the best pulpit that accurately gives voice to our positions."
The network also airs graphic footage of Israeli casualties, videos of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, information on the movement of Israeli forces that can aid the terror organization, and misinformation designed to thwart Israel's instructions to the Gaza population. On multiple occasions, Al-Jazeera reporters actively silenced Gazan civilians who tried to criticize Hamas or its conduct in Gaza during the war.[2]
Moreover, it has been shown that some Al-Jazeera reporters took an active part in Hamas' October 7 invasion of Israeli localities, and some even served as Hamas field commanders.[3]
On their personal social media accounts and various other online platforms, Al-Jazeera's presenters and reporters are even more explicitly pro-Hamas and anti-Israel. They have openly praised Hamas and its October 7 attack, and expressed hope that it presages the complete liberation of Palestine and Israel's demise.[4]
It should be noted that Palestinians and Arab journalists have long been criticizing Al-Jazeera's coverage of Hamas and of events in Palestine, saying that it distorts the facts and serves as a mouthpiece of terror organizations.
A similar line is taken by other Qatari media and by the Qatari press, which likewise support and glorify Hamas and terror against Israel in general. This is conveyed in reports, opinion pieces, cartoons and even poems published by the various outlets, which praise Hamas and its missile attacks on Israel, call for further attacks similar to that of October 7, and convey that Israel's demise is a divine promise and is therefore inevitable.
Support for terrorism and incitement against Israel are also present in the Qatari education system. Over the past year, as in previous years, Qatar's education system has promoted antisemitic and anti-Israel content in kindergartens, schools, universities, and summer camps, conveying that Jews are the enemies of Allah and presenting Palestine as stretching from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea, thus negating Israel's existence. A state-sponsored children's monthly published content that justified terror and violence against Israel and promoted antisemitic tropes.
In addition, flagrantly anti-Israel and pro-Hamas rhetoric is part of the religious indoctrination promoted by the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is based in Doha and funded by Qatar. On the day after the October 7 attack, the IUMS – which has been known for years for spreading antisemitic rhetoric and promoting jihad and martyrdom – issued a statement calling the attack an "effective" and "mandatory development of legitimate resistance," and emphasizing that Muslims have a religious duty to support their brothers and sisters "throughout all of Palestine, especially in Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, and Gaza." Not long afterwards, the IUMS issued a fatwa obligating Palestinians in the West Bank and within 1948 Borders, as well as Israel's neighbors and all Arab and Muslim Countries, to intervene militarily on behalf of Gaza. Other texts published by IUMS members likewise glorified Hamas and terror against Israel and expressed hope for Israel's ultimate downfall.
December 12, 2023 cartoon in Qatar's Al-Watan daily
The following are reports and clips published by MEMRI over the last year reflecting the anti-Israel and pro-Hamas position espoused by Qatar, by Al-Jazeera and its leading reporters, by the Qatari government press, and by the Qatar-affiliated IUMS, as well as reports on Arab and Palestinian journalists who expressed criticism of Al-Jazeera.
Statements by Qatari Officials and Members of the Royal Family: Israel Spreads Fabricated Narratives; October 7 Was The Beginning Of Its Demise; Peace With It Is Impossible
Special Dispatch No. 10869 - Qatar Foundation CEO Sheikha Hind Issues Statement Condemning Israel's 'Murder And Destruction' In Gaza, Making No Mention Of Hamas Or Its Atrocities - 10/15/23
Clip No. 10642 - Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Mother Of The Emir Of Qatar: Israel Spreads 'Fabricated Narratives,' Any Criticism Is Labeled 'Antisemitism'; The Palestinians Represent The Honor Of Our Nation, Their Children Were Born Men - 11/15/23
Special Dispatch No. 10963 - Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Mother Of Qatari Emir: The Children Of Palestine Are Born Men - 11/17/23
Clip No. 10676 - Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, Mother Of The Emir Of Qatar: Artificial Intelligence Was Used To Fabricate Stories In The Gaza War And To Block Documentation Of The Atrocities Perpetrated By Israel - 11/28/23
Clip No. 11040 - Qatari Shura Council Member Essa Al-Nassr: October 7 Was An Introduction To The Annihilation Of The Zionist State; There Can Be No Peace With Them; They Are The Slayers Of The Prophets - 04/22/24
Al-Jazeera and Its Presenters and Reporters Praise Terror Against Israel, Celebrate October 7 Attack: "It Was A Magnificent Historic Day That Restored Our Nation's Honor"; Israel Has No Right To Exist
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 - 10/08/24
Clip No. 11458 - Al-Jazeera Satirical Skit “the Orange Dome” Mocks the Abduction of Israelis by Hamas on October 7 – the Title “Invincible Army” Is Good for Peace Times and the First Ten Minutes of War - 10/02/24
Clip No. 11457 - Al-Jazeera TV’s Military Analyst Fayez Al-Dwairi: There Should Be a Plan for the Liberation of Palestine – Not a Peace Plan; I Do Not Believe in Israel’s Right to Exist - 09/26/24
Special Dispatch No. 11548 - Journalists For Al-Jazeera And Qatari Dailies Take To Social Media To Praise Border-Crossing Attack, Call To Intensify Attacks On Israel - 09/09/24
Clip No. 11385 - Al-Jazeera Publishes Footage Of Celebrations In Amman Following The Murder Of Three Israelis At The Allenby Border Crossing By A Jordanian Truck Driver - 09/08/24
Special Dispatch No. 11037 - Hamas Leader In Gaza Yahya Sinwar, Israel's Most Wanted – In His Own Words: 'We Support The Eradication Of Israel Through Armed Jihad And Struggle; This Is Our Doctrine'; 'The Brothers In Iran And Hizbullah Spared Us Nothing'; 'Al-Jazeera Has Been The Best Pulpit To Give Accurate Voice To Our Position' - 08/08/24
Special Dispatch No. 11388 - Al-Jazeera Journalists By Day, Hamas Commanders By Night - 06/10/24
Special Dispatch No. 11389 - Senior Al-Jazeera Presenter: Moral Hamas Did Not Booby-Trap The Hostages - 06/10/24
Clip No. 11011 - Al-Jazeera Airs Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades Video Calling On Muslims To Join Jihad; Shows Ambush Against Israeli Soldiers - 04/10/24
Special Dispatch No. 11094 - Hamas Official On Al-Jazeera Website: October 7 Was Scaled-Down Model Of Palestine's Final War Of Liberation; Palestinians Have Proved 'With Blood And Bodies' That Their Only Option Is To Resist Until Liberation And Return Are Achieved; There Will Be No Security Or Stability In Region Or Beyond Until Palestinians Receive Their Authentic Rights - 01/24/24
Clip No. 10671 - Al-Jazeera TV Host Mostafa Ashoor Cuts Short Egyptian Caller Who Said Hamas's Conduct Has Been Dishonorable And That Hamas Shares The Blame For The New Gaza 'Nakba' - 11/24/23
Clip No. 10545 - Al-Jazeera Report About Hamas Threats To Israeli Offshore Gas Installations: All Of Israel's Natural Gas Installations Are Within Range Of Palestinian Rockets, Possibly Lebanese Rockets Too - 10/18/23
Special Dispatch No. 10879 - Presenters, Reporters From Qatar's Al-Jazeera Praise Hamas Attack, Celebrate Israel's Disaster - 10/17/23
Clip No. 10503 - Al-Jazeera Report About Hamas's Invasion Of Israel Features Footage Of Slain Israeli Forces, Shows Israeli Soldiers, Civilians Being Captured: Hamas Has Destroyed Israel's Iron Image (Viewer Discretion Advised) - 10/07/23
Palestinian and Arab Journalists Criticize Al-Jazeera: It Serves Terrorist Organizations, Distorts The Truth
Special Dispatch No. 10974 - Arab Journalists: Al-Jazeera Is A Mouthpiece Of The Terrorist Organizations - 11/22/23
Special Dispatch No. 11531 - Palestinian Journalists: Al-Jazeera's Coverage Of Gaza Distorts Reality - 08/29/24
Special Dispatch No. 11302 - Columnist In Palestinian Authority Daily: Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV Is Not A Source Of Truth; It Serves Hamas And Terror Organizations - 04/30/24
Special Dispatch No. 11195 - Brussels-Based Palestinian Activist Amjad AbuKoush: We Are Paying The Price For 17 Years Of Hamas Policies; Al-Jazeera TV Wants The Bloodshed To Continue So It Can Garner More Viewers And More 'Likes'; Qatar Has Taken Over Palestinian Decision-Making - 03/13/24
Other Qatari Media and Press Glorifies Hamas Leaders, Calls For Another October 7 Attack, This Time In Tel Aviv, Presents October 7 Attack As Divine Promise
Special Dispatch No. 11496 - Qatari Journalists Celebrate Yahya Sinwar's Appointment As Hamas' New Political Bureau Chairman, Calling Him 'The Hero Of October 7,' 'The Saladin Of Our Century' And 'Israel's Nightmare' - 08/09/24
Special Dispatch No. 11488 - Following Assassination Of Hamas Leader Isma'il Haniyeh, Qatari Press Glorifies Him, Praises Jihad And Martyrdom - 08/07/24
Special Dispatch No. 11468 - Antisemitic Article in Qatari Daily: The Jews Have Been Manipulators And Traitors Since The Days Of The Prophet Muhammad; That Is Why No Hostage Deal Has Been Concluded Between Israel And Hamas - 07/26/24
Special Dispatch No. 11327 - Palestinian Columnist In Qatari Daily: We Do Not Want A Ceasefire But Ongoing War; October 7 Put The Palestinian Cause Back On The World's Agenda - 05/13/24
Special Dispatch No. 11236 - Qatari Columnist Calls For Murdering Anyone Cooperating With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Arabs And Non-Arabs Alike – As Was Done To The Jews In Early Islam - 03/28/24
Special Dispatch No. 11210 - Cartoons In Qatari Press Celebrate Attacks On Israel, Yearn For Its Collapse - 03/18/24
Special Dispatch No. 11194 - Poem Published In Qatari Daily In Response To American Initiative For Gaza Aid Port Calls On Palestinians To Perpetrate 'April 7 Attack In Tel Aviv' - 03/12/24
Special Dispatch No. 11154 - Incitement Against Israel In Qatari Press Continues: Only More Attacks Like October 7 Will Restrain It; The Conflict Will End Only With Disappearance Of Israel - 02/28/24
Clip No. 10707 - Qatari TV Channel Reports From Onboard The Hijacked Galaxy Leader – A Commercial Ship Seized By Yemeni-Houthis: Any Ship That Is Linked To The Israelis Will Be Seized And Towed To Shore - 12/03/23
Special Dispatch No. 11006 - Poem In Qatari 'Al-Sharq' Daily Calls On Gazans, Muslims To Wage Jihad And Restore Islamic Rule Throughout The World - 12/07/23
Special Dispatch No. 10945 - Poem In Qatari Daily Glorifies The Hamas Attack On The Jews, Who 'Turned Into Apes And Swine Already In The Days Of Their Forefathers'; Thanks The Attackers: 'We Were Parched And You Brought Us Abundant Rains' - 11/08/23
Special Dispatch No. 10940 - Article In Qatari Daily: Israel's Demise Is A Divine Promise - 11/06/23
Special Dispatch No. 10926 - Article In Qatari Daily 'Al-Sharq': Arabs Must Punish West For Supporting Israel By Imposing Oil Embargo On It - 11/01/23
Special Dispatch No. 10915 - Article in Qatari Daily 'Al-Watan': The War In Gaza Is A War To End The Zionist State; Israel Is Attempting To Delay The Elimination Of The Jews, But Allah's Servants Will Be Victorious - 10/29/23
Special Dispatch No. 10910 - Qatari Media Compare Israel To Nazis, Netanyahu To Hitler, Gaza To Auschwitz - 10/27/23
Special Dispatch No. 10909 - Qatari Press Attacks U.S., West For Their Support Of Israel: They Are Complicit In Its Crimes And Pose A Threat To Democracy And Morality; The U.S. Itself Won Its Independence By Means Of Terror - 10/26/23
Special Dispatch No. 10887 - In Qatari Daily, Poem Of Praise For Hamas Attack: 'Falling In Battle As A Martyr Is Not Falling; It Is The Beginning Of Victory, And Exaltedness - 10/19/23
Special Dispatch No. 10840 - Qatar And Qatari Press Express Unreserved Support For Massive Hamas Terror Attack On Israel, Hold Israel Solely Responsible For It - 10/09/23
Special Dispatch No. 10838 - Column In Qatari Al-Watan Daily: Hamas Attack On Israel – Like Prophet Muhammad's Attack On Jews Of Khaybar In 628 - 10/09/23
Antisemitic And Anti-Israel Content In Qatari Education System, Children's Magazine: Palestine Stretches From The River To The Sea; The Jews Are The Enemies Of Allah
Clip No. 11133 - Qatari Children's Magazine 'Jassim' Responds To MEMRI Report: Qatar Is A Sovereign Arab Country With A Free Press That Supports The Rights Of The Palestinian People - 05/26/24
Special Dispatch No. 11336 - State-Sponsored Qatari Children's Magazine Justifies Terror, Incites Against Jews, Israel And U.S. - 05/20/24
Special Dispatch No. 11450 - At Qatari Government-Sponsored Summer Camps Children Learn That Israeli Cities Are Part Of Palestine - 07/16/24
Special Dispatch No. 11057 - Qatar University Inaugurates Garden Shaped Like Map Of Palestine From River To Sea, Including Cities Inside Israel, Such As Jaffa, Acre, Beersheba - 01/03/24
Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1730 - Antisemitic And Anti-Israel Content In Qatar's Education System: Jews Are Enemies Of Allah; Palestine Stretches From The River To The Sea - 12/11/23
The International Union of Muslim Scholars, Based In Doha And Funded by Qatar: The October 7 Attack Was Effective And Justified; All Muslims Must Intervene Militarily To Help Gaza Against Israel
Special Dispatch No. 11553 - Head Of Qatar-Funded IUMS Describes Perpetrator Of Terror Attack At Jordan-Israel Border Crossing As 'Hero' Whose Action Reflects The Sentiments And Ideas Of The Muslim Nation - 09/12/24
Special Dispatch No. 11519 - Member Of Qatar-Backed International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Says Gaza War Can Be Used To Teach Children Important Lessons: 'This War Is Pure Jihad'; Children 'Should Be Raised On Love Of Jihad'; The War Is Religious And Ideological, Not A Dispute Over Borders - 08/22/24
Special Dispatch No. 11221 - Member Of Qatar-based, Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Touhami Medjouri Calls On All Muslims To Join Hamas' War Against Israel, Target Interest Of U.S., U.K., France, And Germany Everywhere - 03/21/24
Special Dispatch No. 10925 - Qatar-Based And Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Publishes Old Article By Senior Hamas Official Describing Takeover Of Gaza Border Region, Israeli City Of Ashkelon, In Preparation For Liberation Of Palestine And Realization Of Prophetic Promise - 11/01/23
Clip No. 10599 - Qatar-Based International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Issues Fatwa Obligating Palestinians In West Bank And Within 1948 Borders, Israel's Neighbors, All Arab And Muslim Countries To Intervene Militarily On Behalf Of Gaza - 10/31/23
Special Dispatch No. 10836 - In Statement, Qatar-Based And Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Calls 'Al-Aqsa Storm' Operation An 'Effective' And 'Mandatory Development Of Legitimate Resistance,' States: Muslims Must Support Their Brothers In Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem And Gaza - 10/08/23
