Mossad denies reports of Qatari 'communications team' after Lieberman accusations

Yisrael Beiteinu Party chairman Avigdor Lieberman sharply criticized Israel’s handling of Qatari funding to Hamas during remarks at the annual conference of the Ogen social loan fund, hosted by Yedioth Ahronoth.

“There has never been a real discussion on the subject of transferring funds from Qatar,” Lieberman said. He added that the policy was conceived and led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and noted that he resigned as defense minister the day after the announcement of the plan to regulate and transfer funds to Hamas.

“There is no complete victory. Hamas is getting stronger and the funding is still Qatari,” Lieberman asserted.

The comments came in the wake of reports that Mossad chief Dedi Barnea met with Qatari representatives in New York last month, establishing four working groups, one of which reportedly focused on media and communications. Lieberman called for more transparency, saying, “I would be happy if they would detail to the people of Israel what happened at the meeting, which working groups were established, and why. But I see that we are back to October 6th.”

The Mossad swiftly denied Lieberman’s claims. A statement from the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations described the announcement of a Qatari communications team as “unfounded, false and devoid of any basis.”

According to Mossad, the trilateral New York meeting, which also involved U.S. President’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, addressed multiple issues related to the Gaza Strip and senior Hamas officials based in Qatar. The only media-related matter discussed was a clear demand from both the U.S. and Israel for Qatar to act against Al Jazeera’s coverage, which they said fosters hatred, anti-Semitism, and terrorism, and to stop spreading misinformation that incites hostility toward Israel globally.