Qatar And Qatari Press Express Unreserved Support For Massive Hamas Terror Attack On Israel, Hold Israel Solely Responsible For It

Qatar has expressed unreserved support for the massive terror attack carried out on October 7 by its protégé, Hamas, against Israel, during which hundreds of armed militants invaded Israel, murdered over 700 Israelis, kidnapped over 100, including women, children and elderly people, and injured thousands. Although it purports to be a fair mediator in regional conflicts, especially between Israel and Hamas, Qatar refrained from condemning the attack and its foreign ministry in fact issued a statement that held Israel solely responsible for it. This position was also expressed by the Qatari press, which blamed Israel for the attack and celebrated it. Headlines blared that "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" (Hamas' name for the attack) had "swept the occupation" (i.e., Israel) and that "the Palestinian resistance" (i.e., the terror organizations) had "shattered Israel's prestige" and the "myth" of its invincible army.  Articles and cartoons in the Qatari press conveyed similar messages, and editorials held Israel responsible for the attack and called it a "natural response" to Israel's policy.

The editor of the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, Jaber Al-Harmi, likewise praised the attack, describing it as a "heroic operation" that has changed the rules of the game and ushered in "a new phase in the military confrontation" ahead of "the complete liberation of Palestinian soil." Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti, who, in his column in the Qatari daily Al-Watan often praises terror against Israel,[1] likened the Hamas attack to the Prophet Muhammad's attack on the Jews of Khaybar in the year 628.

It should be noted that Qatar is close to the Hamas leadership and harbors several of the organization's leaders, including the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniya, and other political bureau members, such as Khaled Mash'al. During the May 2021 round of fighting between Isael and Gaza, as it was mediating between Israel and Hamas, Qatar hosted a mass rally of solidarity with the Palestinians in its capital, Doha, which was a show of support for the terror organizations in Gaza, chief of them Hamas. At the rally, which was attended by Hamas leader Haniya, calls were heard in favor of jihad, martyrdom and armed struggle against Israel. [2] It should also be noted that, during the May 2021 round of fighting, the Qatari press likewise expressed support for the firing of rockets at Israel, circulated antisemitic content and described the fighting as a stage in the liberation of Palestine as a whole.[3]

Public buildings in Qatar illuminated in the colors of the Palestinian flag "in solidarity with Gaza"  (Sources: Al-Raya, Qatar, October 9, 2023; T.me/gazaalannet, October 9, 2023) 

Qatari Foreign Ministry: Israel Is Solely Responsible For The Escalation

A statement issued October 7 by Qatar's Foreign Ministry read: "The State of Qatar expresses its deep concern over the developments in Gaza Strip and calls on all parties to de-escalate, and exercise maximum restraint.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds Israel solely responsible for the ongoing escalation due to its ongoing violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, the latest of which was the repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli police.

"The Ministry stresses the need for the international community to act urgently to compel Israel to stop its flagrant violations of international law, respect the resolutions of international legitimacy and the historical rights of the Palestinian people, and to prevent these events from being used as a pretext to ignite a new asymmetric war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the firm position of the State of Qatar regarding the justice of the Palestinian cause, and the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, and to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."[4]

The Qatari Foreign Ministry's statement in Arabic (Source: Twitter.com/MofaQatar_AR)

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said on Qatari television that "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is only a natural response to the Israeli provocations and the past weeks' escalation of the occupation's [actions] against the unarmed Palestinian people in the West Bank, Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem and Gaza." He added that "Israel carries out terrible violations against the Palestinian people on a daily basis, creating despair and [provoking] a reaction..."[5]

Qatari Press Holds Israel Responsible For Attack And Expresses Glee Over It

Headlines In Qatar's State Press Celebrate Israel's "Shock," "Shattered Prestige," "Shattered Myth Of [Invincible] Occupation "

Qatar's support for Hamas' terror attack was also evident in the headlines of the Qatari newspapers, which held Israel responsible for the escalation while expressing glee at its plight. The headlines stated that Hamas had "shattered Israel's prestige," "shocked the Israeli entity" and "shattered the myth of the [invincible] occupation." The Qatari press also posted pictures of Israeli soldiers lying dead or being dragged away as captives. The following are examples:

Main headline of Al-Arab daily: "Al-Aqsa Flood Is Sweeping Israel; Qatar Holds Occupation Responsible, Due to Ongoing Violations of Palestinian People's Rights" (Al-Arab, Qatar, October 8, 2023)

Main headline of Al-Watan daily: "Qatar Holds Israel Responsible for Escalation" (Al-Watan, Qatar, October 8, 2023)

Headline in Al-Arab daily: "Palestinian Resistance Shatters Israel's Prestige" (Al-Arab, Qatar, October 8, 2023)

Headline in Al-Watan daily: "Al-Aqsa Flood Shocks Israeli Entity" (Al-Watan, Qatar, October 8, 2023)

Main headline of Al-Sharq daily: "Al-Aqsa Flood Shatters Myth of [Invincible] Occupation" (Al-Sharq, Qatar, October 8, 2023)

Qatari Press Editorials: The Attack Was "A Natural Reaction"; Israel Is Responsible

Editorials in the Qatari press likewise held Israel responsible for the situation, while completely ignoring Hamas' invasion of Israeli territory and the acts carried out in the course of it, including the  massacre of civilians and kidnapping of civilians and soldiers. Al-Watan's October 8 editorial stated: "The world woke up yesterday (October 7) to the sound of unprecedented rocket salvos fired by the Palestinian resistance from Gaza at the occupation's cities and settlements around [the Gaza Strip]. This signaled the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which will put an end to Israel's violations..." The editorial stated further: "The occupation is no doubt responsible for the escalation of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, due to its ongoing brutal attacks on the Palestinian people and the holy places..."[6] 

Al-Sharq's editorial blamed Israel for the Hamas attack, stating: "The escalation in the Palestinian territories is the inevitable result of Israel's severe and systematic attacks, crimes and violations against the Palestinian people, which have been ongoing for many decades..."[7]

Al-Raya's October 8 editorial, headlined "The Israeli Occupation Is Reaping the Fruits of Its Violations," likewise described the terror attack as a "natural response," writing: "What happened yesterday (October 7) in the Gaza Strip is a natural result of the absence of a horizon, and of the occupation's reneging on past understandings and leaving the situation unchanged since 2006... Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was nothing but a natural response to Israel's provocations and escalation... The international community must not place the criminal [i.e., Israel] and the victim [i.e., the Palestinians] on the same footing. Why can't the international community, which was quick to place the resistance [i.e., the terror organizations] in the dock, restore the legitimate rights of the unarmed Palestinian people[?]..." The editorial ended by stating that "Israel alone bears the responsibility for the state of despair and oppression from which the Palestinian people [suffer] and for its own lack of security, because oppression and military and security solutions cannot break the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on its soil."[8]

October 9, 2023 cartoon in London-based Qatari daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi: Israel drowning in "messages of [Operation] Al-Aqsa Flood"

October 9 cartoon in Qatari daily Al-Sharq: "The Dome of the Rock" celebrates; Israel's "Iron Dome" is full of holes

Editor Of Qatar's Al-Sharq Daily: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood Is A New Phase That Revives The Hope To Liberate All Of Palestine

In an article titled "Al-Aqsa Flood Heralds New Dawn," Jaber Al-Harmi, editor-in-chief of the daily Al-Sharq, welcomed the Hamas attack, which, he said, proved Israel to be "as weak as cobwebs." He wrote: "Not only the Zionists but the entire world is amazed today at the capabilities of Gaza, which has been under siege for over 17 years. The attack carried out yesterday by the Palestinian resistance, under the command of the Al-Qassam Brigades,  Hamas' military wing, against [targets in] the so-called Gaza envelope that are actually occupied Palestinian cities and villages, and the takeover of some of these localities, is a new turning point in the process of liberating Palestine, all of Palestine.   

"The source of amazement was not the character of the surprise attack carried out by the resistance, but the capabilities demonstrated by the resistance: the [range of its] options, the planning on the ground, and the well-prepared actions. All these factors make this an all-out war, as was acknowledged by the Israeli entity, which declared a state of war for the first time since October 1973, five decades ago.

"...[This was] a ground offensive accompanied by a first salvo of over 5,000 [sic] rockets, with [forces] landed behind the enemy bases and a cyber war that included disrupting Israeli communication networks and disabling some of them. [This was] an unfamiliar spectacle in the Arab conflict with the Israeli entity, a heroic operation that proved [Israel] to be as weak as cobwebs.  

"The number of Zionist fatalities is steadily growing into the hundreds, and currently stands at 250, as the Zionists acknowledge. The number of people injured is over 1,000 and the number of hostages is yet to be announced. Tanks, armored vehicles and military vehicles have been destroyed, and the most glorious [achievement] was the dragging of Israeli soldiers along the ground, a sight that was 'a balm to the hearts of the believers' [Quran 9:14].

"This operation and this day, the 22nd day of the third month of the [Hijri] year 1445, or October 7, 2023, will have a follow-up. The rules of the conflict have changed, and Gaza is no longer [just] defending the small area in which it was besieged to begin with. Having seized the reins of initiative and imposed a new equation on the enemy, Gaza is now choosing the time and place of the campaign. This is something the Zionist enemy – which has not fought a real war with the Arab regimes for over 50 years – is unaccustomed to.

"Arab regimes thought this enemy 'invincible.' [They thought it] impossible to confront it, let alone declare war on it, as the resistance in Palestine has done. The Al-Aqsa Flood campaign has brought victory to Al-Aqsa and to the men and women incarcerated in the enemy prisons, and has stopped the Zionist brutality in the Palestinian territories and the transgressions against honor and against women in Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa mosque. 

"Some may say that Hamas, with this 'insane' operation, will drive 'Israel' to burn Gaza, and that the innocent people of Gaza will be the victims. But those are the words of helpless, defeatist, feeble, frustrated and humiliated people... This enemy understands only force, [and anything less] is capitulation...

"[Operation] Al-Aqsa Flood, which has changed the equation of the conflict and shattered the occupation's prestige, is a new phase in the military confrontation, and has revived the Arab peoples' hope for the complete liberation of Palestinian soil."[9]

October 9 cartoon in London-based Qatari daily Al-Arabi Al-Jadid: "Gaza" shatters Israel

October 8 cartoon in Al-Sharq: Israel raises a white flag as it drowns in "Al-Aqsa Flood"

Column In Al-Watan Daily: Hamas Attack – Like Attack Of Prophet Muhammad Against Jews Of Khaybar In 628

In his column in the Al-Watan daily, Palestinian journalist Samir Al-Barghouti called  the Hamas attack against Israel "a first-class, high-quality military operation" reminiscent of the Prophet Muhammad's attack on the Jews of Khaybar in 628.[10]

The following are excerpts from his column:

"Like the Prophet, when he decided to attack [the Jews of] Khaybar and raised his finger and said, 'Allah akbar, Allah akbar, Allah akbar, if we enter their territory, evil and bitter will be fate,'[11] at six in the evening [on October 6, 2023] the men [of the Palestinian resistance] said their sunset prayers and then began to prepare themselves throughout the night. At six in the morning [on October 7, 2023] they attacked the Khaybar of Gaza [i.e. the communities in the Gaza envelope]...

"This is a first-class, high-quality military operation that sends a message to the occupier and to all those who try to eliminate the most important variable in the issue of Middle East peace, namely the fighters of the Palestinian resistance. The monster [i.e., Israel] has become terrified of the revolution of the giants who formulated a plan to sweep all the Zionists out of Palestine along with all the [Arabs] who have become Zionists.

"This is a message to everyone: Have no fear, we will be the ones who to vanquish those whose instill fear. Oh Muhammad Deif, how beautiful you are when you are clear and explicit, as you were when you conveyed your message to the Zionists, namely that every act of aggression against our mothers at Al-Aqsa [i.e. the murabitat[12]] will exact a high price, and that the cries of 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar,' uttered by a murabita at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem being dragged [along the ground] by the Zionist army, will be met with a harsh response. And this was the response.

"We who follow this victory on television should take to [the streets] in Amman, Cairo,  Baghdad and in all the Arab capitals to support this resistance, which on October 7 recorded a victory the likes of which has not been achieved since October 1973.

"'...If you support Allah He will support you...' [Quran 47:7] The word of Allah is the truth."[13]