Although Qatar helped to broker the recent Gaza ceasefire deal, its government media has been taking a flagrantly pro-Hamas and anti-Israel stance. This pro-Hamas bias is evident in headlines, articles, cartoons and social media posts by Qatari media figures that described the agreement as a “historic” and “crushing” victory for Hamas, the Palestinians, and Qatar, and as a complete humiliation for Israel that has “rubbed its nose in the dirt.” One article even compared the ceasefire deal to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah signed between the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe, which serves in Islamic tradition as an archetype for a temporary agreement between Muslims and their enemies, meant to be violated once the Muslims grow stronger. Another article stated that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “sowed the spirit of resistance which will continue to serve as fuel in the next rounds of fighting.”

The pro-Hamas bias of the Qatari media is consistent with Qatar’s unreserved support for the group and its terrorist operations, particularly following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion and massacres in southern Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza (see MEMRI report).

Qatar’s support for Hamas was also given expression by Qatari officials as soon as the agreement came into force on January 19, 2025. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Abdulrahman Aal Thani met with a large Palestinian delegation – which included officials from Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups but conspicuously no representatives from the Palestinian Authority (PA) or from Fatah – and emphasized Qatar’s commitment to assisting the Gaza Strip. On the eve of the ceasefire Qatari Education Minister Lolwah Al-Khater described it as a “decisive” victory for the Muslims.

This report provides examples of complete support for Hamas displayed by the Qatari regime and its official media in the context of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza.

“Victory Is Ours” (Al-Sharq, Qatar, January 17, 2025).

Qatar’s PM To Hamas Officials: Our Support For Gaza Will Continue; Qatar Will Provide 12.5 Million Liters Of Fuel To Gaza In 10 Days

As stated, as soon as the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman Aal Thani met with a Palestinian delegation that included Hamas Shura Council chief Mahmoud Darwish, Hamas leader abroad Khaled Mash’al, Hamas negotiations team chief Khalil Al-Hayya, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) deputy leader Jamil Mazhar, and officials from other Palestinian groups – but no representatives from the PA or from Fatah. During the meeting, Aal Thani underlined that Qatar’s support for the “brothers” in the Gaza Strip will continue and that the air train of Qatari aid will continue, in accordance with what was agreed upon in the deal.[1]  Qatar has also announced that, in accordance with the agreement, it will deliver 12.5 million liters of fuel into the Gaza Strip during the first ten days of the ceasefire.[2]

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Bin Abdulrahman Aal Thani meeting with representatives from Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas, PIJ and PFLP (Al-Raya, Qatar, January 20, 2025).

Qatari Education Minister On The Eve Of The Ceasefire: Victory From Allah Is Near

Qatari Education Minister Lolwah Al-Khater, who until recently served as Minister of State for International Cooperation in Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and who even visited the Gaza Strip during the war, likewise expressed support for Hamas. She shared on her X account a photo of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, citing the Quranic verse: “Help from Allah and a victory that will come soon – give glad tidings of this to the believers. [61:13]” Her post was hashtagged in Arabic “Palestine,” “Gaza,” and “Al-Aqsa Mosque.”[3]

Lolwah Al-Khater’s post on X

Qatari Newspapers Highlight Hamas’s “Victory” And Its Military Parade In Gaza

Qatar’s government media presented the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal as a total victory for Hamas, highlighting the celebrations in Gaza and the military parade held by fighters from Hamas’s Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades military wing. Below are several examples:

Headline in Qatari daily: “The Hudna [lull in fighting] Brings Hope to Gaza and Crowns the Victory of the Resistance” (Al-Arab, Qatar, January 20, 2025)

Headline in Qatari daily: “Celebrations and a Military Parade upon the Ceasefire Taking Effect” (Al-Sharq, Qatar, January 20, 2025)

Photo in Qatari daily shows children waving toy rifles at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during celebrations of the ceasefire (Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, January 20, 2025)

Writers In Qatari Government Daily: The Ceasefire Is A Historic And Crushing Victory For The Palestinians And For Qatar

Articles in the Qatari government press, and especially in the daily Al-Sharq,  likewise described the ceasefire as a complete victory for Hamas. Ahmed Kedidi, formerly Tunisia’s ambassador to Qatar and an advisor to previous Qatari PM Hamad Bin Jassem, wrote in his column in Al-Sharq that the ceasefire is “a historic victory [achieved] thanks to the steadfastness of the resistance and Qatar’s determination.”[4] Muhammad Saleh Al-Musfir, a political science lecturer at Qatar University, wrote that January 19, the day the ceasefire took effect, was “the day of Palestine’s crushing defeat against the enemies of our nation,” and added that “Qatar has emerged victorious together with Gaza in the battle of handling the negotiations.”[5] Jordanian journalist Ihsan Al-Faqih likewise described the ceasefire as “a crushing victory for the Palestinians,” adding that “the people of Gaza, the rest of Palestine and our entire nation are entitled to rejoice in this clear victory.”[6]

Al-Sharq chief editor Jaber Al-Harmi, known for his absolute support for Hamas and its terrorist activities, shared on his X account a photo of an Israeli soldier being taken hostage on October 7, alongside a photo of a military parade held in Gaza by Hamas’ military wing after the ceasefire took effect. Critical of Hamas’s opponents, he wrote: “They wanted the day after [the war] to be without Hamas, but like the first day [October 7], it was all Hamas.”[7]

Jaber Al-Harmi’s post on X

Al-Jazeera Presenter On Release Of Israeli Female Hostages: “Israel’s Nose Has Been Rubbed In The Dirt”

Qatar’s Al-Jazeera Network and its journalists also presented the ceasefire as a total victory for Hamas. Network presenter and producer Ahmad Mansour shared on his X account a photo of armed and masked Al-Qassam Brigades fighters, and commented: “In short – Gaza has won after legendary fighting and steadfastness, and has forced its terms [upon Israel]. Israel has been defeated. It has surrendered, and it has not achieved even one of its war goals.”[8]

Ahmad Mansour’s post on X

In another post, Mansour shared a photo of a massive crowd in Gaza rushing the Red Cross van that was transporting the three female Israeli hostages who were about to be released as part of the deal. The post was hashtagged in Arabic “Gaza Wins,” and Mansour wrote: “A historic spectacle of Israel having its nose rubbed in the dirt and being forced to accept the terms of the resistance after 471 days of steadfastness.”[9]

Ahmad Mansour’s post on X

Article On Al-Jazeera Website: The Agreement Leaves Hamas In Power With Its Weapons Of Resistance

Palestinian journalist Mounir Shafiq wrote on Aljazeera.net a few days before the deal was signed: “The resistance remains, and it is making impressive victories every day… Moreover, the agreement was signed with Hamas [itself], which remains in power and retains its weapons of resistance, [as well as] the weapons of the Al-Quds Brigades [the PIJ military wing], and thousands of fighters. The victory of the resistance in this deal must be announced loud and clear. We must be wary of opinions that refuse to recognize the resistance’s victory under the pretext of emphasizing the mass killing of [Gazan] civilians and the almost total destruction that has taken place. This is a mistaken standard by which to judge who is the victor and who is the loser in this war that lasted 15 months.”[10]

Qatari Writer: The Ceasefire Agreement Is Like The Treaty Of Hudaybiyyah, A Gate To Future Victories

Abd Al-Aziz Aal Ishaq, a columnist for the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, compared the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which the Prophet Muhammad signed with his enemies in the Quraysh tribe for a limited period of time and which he violated after approximately two years.[11] He wrote: “Gaza has achieved a victory that we are yet to see in the future, as happened with the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The infidels of Quraysh regarded [this treaty] as a victory for them, but it [later] became apparent that victory is from Allah and that the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was a gate for every [Muslim] victory that followed. Gaza has not been defeated; it is a symbol of steadfastness and unbreakable will. This is a victory that will be immortalized in history…”[12]

Cartoon in Qatari daily: The Israeli nutcracker has broken because “Gaza is unbreakable” (Al-Sharq, Qatar, January 17, 2025)

Article in Qatari Daily Al-Watan: Congratulations To Gaza On Its Victory; No White Flag Has Been Raised

Palestinian journalist Samir Barghouti wrote in his column in Qatar’s Al-Watan daily: “…[We see] men and women whose homes have been destroyed and whose roads have been dug up and blocked, yet they are all making the victory sign [with their hands]. No white flag has been raised. They have emerged from their secret tunnels bearing the bodies of their comrades who were killed in the war that [slain Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar wanted to be the mother of all wars for the liberation of the entire homeland. They return, accompanied by the souls of over 60,000 martyrs sacrificed by Gaza on the road to liberating the homeland, and no white flag has been raised… Congratulations to Gaza on its victory. Congratulations to the resistance on freeing our heroes [the Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of the ceasefire deal] and embarking on the path to the liberation [of Palestine]…”[13]

Cartoon in Qatari daily: Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, wearing a cardboard crown of “total victory,” drinking from a bottle of poison labeled “the ceasefire agreement” (Al-Quds Al-Arabi, London, January 17, 2025)

IUMS Member: The Jihad And Resistance Have Triumphed

On his column in Al-Sharq, Kamal Aslan, a member of the Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), which is supported by the Qatari regime, praised the perseverance of the Gazans which, he said, led to their victory.

He wrote: “The people of Gaza dealt with the cunning of the Jews and their helpers by means of a strong heart and a spirit full of faith. Their patience was not [manifest in] submitting to reality but was positive and accompanied by action, jihad and resistance. The people of Gaza understood that patience is not just waiting for redemption, but also [means] faith that Allah is on their side and that His victory is certain to come…

“The patience of the people of Gaza and their sacrifices have not been in vain. They were the reason for the victory that Allah [granted] them. The victory in Gaza is proof that the war is not just a battle of weapons, but rather a battle of wills, and you cannot defeat a will that draws its power from faith in Allah… The people of Gaza are worthy of this victory by the merit of their patience and their faith.”[14]

Another IUMS member, Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti, who is also a lecturer at Qatar University, shared on his X account a cartoon depicting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu signing the ceasefire deal under the boot of a Hamas fighter. Hashtagged “Gaza Is Winning” and “The Agreement of Honor,” the post said: “Sign it, you son of a dog.”[15]

Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shinqiti’s post

Article In Al-Sharq Daily: The Ceasefire Is A Significant Defeat For Israel; The Spirit Of Resistance Sown By Sinwar Will Ignite Further Rounds Of Fighting

Abd Al-Hadi Al-Ajmi, a history lecturer at Kuwait University, wrote in the Qatari daily  Al-Sharq that the ceasefire is one of Israel’s “most significant defeats” and an achievement of Hamas and its slain leader Yahya Sinwar. Al-Ajmi compared Sinwar and Hamas to Seljuk conqueror Nur Al-Din Zengi, who paved the way for Saladin’s ultimate conquest of Jerusalem.

He wrote: “This agreement… is one of the most significant defeats suffered by the occupation in many years… It underlines Hamas’s ability to force its terms and to realize its goals, but it also reflects the broader picture, which is that resistance is not just military struggle; it is  an entire enterprise to build awareness and determination to liberate the land. What Sinwar and his people did today recalls what was done by Nur Al-Din Zengi[16] in his efforts and attempts to liberate Jerusalem. Despite the great differences in circumstances and capabilities, these two figures [i.e., Zengi and Sinwar] understood the importance of preparedness and steadfastness in creating an extraordinary historical moment for the nation. Zengi paved the way for Saladin to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Sinwar has likewise sown the spirit of resistance that will continue to serve as fuel in the next rounds of fighting. What Sinwar has achieved with his stubborn determination and his willpower will not be just a temporary victory, but will serve as a model that will inspire the next generations with the idea of resistance and steadfastness…”[17]