A report by Israeli Kan News exposes a gap between former Mossad director Yossi Cohen's public statements, and his private position on the Qatari money transfers to the terrorist organization Hamas.
According to recordings obtained by Kan from a conference held in June 2022, Cohen expressed appreciation for the policy of transferring money from Qatar to Hamas, calling it "a blessing." Speaking in a closed forum, he praised Qatar's emir and credited him with helping preserve stability in Gaza through the "suitcases of dollars."
הקלטות יוסי כהן: יוני 2022, ראש המוסד לשעבר מקיים כנס סגור ומדבר על יחסי ישראל עם מדינות המפרץ, ואז הוא מדבר על קטר. כהן מתייחס למזוודות הדולרים ומכנה את המהלכים הקטרים ״ברכה״. הוא מוסיף מחמאות גדולות לאמיר קטר.
שנה וכמה חודשים לאחר מכן, הברכה הופכת לטבח. pic.twitter.com/OWhawVT9YA— Suleiman Maswadeh סולימאן מסוודה (@SuleimanMas1) September 8, 2025
The disclosure contrasts with an interview Cohen gave this week to Israeli Channel 12, in which he shifted responsibility for the funding mechanism to other officials, including the Shin Bet security agency and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. In that interview, he insisted that he had opposed the policy on principle, arguing that it strengthened Hamas ahead of the October 7 massacre.
