Web Summit, a major tech event led by a strident critic of Israel, kicked off a conference on Sunday in Qatar, a key sponsor of Hamas, in close cooperation with the Qatari government.

Web Summit founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave’s opening speech on Sunday evening was, in part, a paean to his “incredible host country” Qatar as “a gateway not just to the Middle East but to the world.” Cosgrave said in his address that the conference was not only for networking in the tech world, but to “tell the story of Qatar and its growing story in the world.”

Days after Hamas released the bodies of a baby and young child who were kidnapped to Gaza in the Oct. 7 attacks and murdered, and as Qatar represents Hamas’ interests in negotiations to free the 69 remaining hostages, Cosgrave praised Qatar’s “remarkable diplomatic skills.” 

Among the featured speakers at this year’s Web Summit in Doha are Dow Jones CEO and Wall Street Journal Publisher Almar Latour, former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

Also on the agenda are two sessions with Motaz Azaiza, an anti-Israel photographer from Gaza who shared video of Hamas terrorists kidnapping Israelis on Oct. 7 and another of them inside Israel along with the caption, “The Gazans entered the settlements!!!!!!!! With jeeps we see in the streets of Gaza.” Azaiza has compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. Azaiza was declared one of Time‘s most influential people and one of GQ‘s Men of the Year in 2024.

Another speaker at Web Summit Qatar is Amjad Masad, a Jordanian tech CEO who has peddled conspiracy theories about how Israel draws the U.S. into wars and unduly influences American government policies, and has claimed that Israelis hunt Palestinians for sport. 

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also spoke at Web Summit’s opening event on Sunday, although he focused mostly on economic and technological matters.

“Qatar is a small state able to punch over its weight … Like a start-up, we are an entrepreneur with a brilliant idea that can change the world,” the prime minister, whose government boosts Islamist movements including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, said.

Cosgrave could be seen walking around the Web Summit with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, visiting pavilions for Snapchat, TikTok, Amazon, iHeartRadio and others.

Days after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and before the IDF invaded Gaza, Cosgrave accused Israel of war crimes, among other criticisms of Israel shortly after the attack in which over 1,200 Israelis were massacred and 251 taken hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups. 

Israeli tech figures pulled out of Web Summit in Lisbon, followed by major companies such as Google, Intel and Meta. Cosgrove, an Irish entrepreneur, first posted his regrets about civilian casualties on both sides while continuing to accuse Israel of war crimes, then resigned as CEO of Web Summit at the end of Oct. 2023.

Cosgrave returned as Web Summit CEO six months later, but did not mention the circumstances of his departure and declined to comment on the matter. 

Major tech figures returned to Web Summit’s Lisbon event last autumn, including Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. 

Over 25,000 attendees from 120 countries, according to Cosgrave, are taking part in Web Summit Qatar 2025, taking place in the Doha Convention and Exhibition Center this week. 

Among the moderators of the summit’s sessions are reporters from Qatari channel Al Jazeera, a frequent source of Islamist propaganda that has been banned by Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and others.