Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Sunday he will present a bill to the Knesset on Monday for the declaration of Qatar as "an enemy state", accusing Doha of supporting and financing Hamas.
Qatar has long championed the Palestinian cause, has hosted Hamas's leadership since 2012 under an agreement with the US and has played a critical role in mediation aimed at ending the war in Gaza, alongside Egypt and Washington. Israeli officials have visited Doha several times for indirect negotiations on a ceasefire.
"Tomorrow I will table in the Knesset the bill 'Declaration of Qatar as an Enemy State'," Mr Lapid said on X.
He said the bill seeks "to establish in law that Qatar will be defined as an enemy state and that all the provisions applicable under Israeli law to enemy states, in all forms of legislation, will apply to it".
He accused Qatar of "acting in a systematic and ongoing manner against the security and political interests" of Israel for years.
During this time Qatar has been supporting and financing terrorist organisations fighting Israel, including Hamas, Mr Lapid claimed.
"Furthermore, the state of Israel is today in the midst of the most severe security affair in its history, in which Qatar recruited agents from within the Prime Minister’s Office," he said.
"Should the law pass, it will help us advance similar legislation, together with the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States Congress."
Hamas is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, the US and other countries.
Qatar, an influential Gulf state designated as a non-Nato ally by Washington, has come under criticism from within the US and Israel over its ties to Hamas since the group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Qatar has provided hundreds of millions of dollars of aid for Gaza.
Hamas fought a war with Israel for nearly two years following its assault, which killed hundreds of Israelis and led to dozens being taken hostage. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the territory.
On September 9, 2025, the Israeli army launched an air strike on a building in Doha in an attempt to kill Hamas's political leaders, leading to widespread international condemnation.
The militant group said its senior officials survived the attack but five of its members were killed: senior Hamas negotiator Khalil Al Hayya's son Haman; his office director Jihad Labad; and bodyguards Ahmad Mamlouk, Abdallah Abdelwahd and Mumen Hassoun. A member of Qatar's security forces was also killed.
Last April, Israel was gripped by allegations linking aides of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to financing from Qatar. Called "Qatargate" by sections Israeli media, the reports that sparked the investigation claimed some of those closest to Mr Netanyahu had been recruited to promote Qatar in Israel, even though the two countries have no formal diplomatic ties.
