In leaked police interrogation footage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heard describing a calculated approach to dealing with Hamas, including comments that defend a policy of organizing monthly cash transfers from Qatar to the Gaza Strip.
The recordings, made during a corruption investigation, capture Netanyahu saying: “This is confidential and can’t be leaked, okay? We have neighbors here, sworn enemies. I’m constantly passing them messages. I confuse them, mislead them, lie to them, and then HIT them over their heads.”
The comments have reignited criticism that Netanyahu secretly worked to keep his Hamas in power in Gaza, as a way to prevent Palestinian unity with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Source of the Leaked Material
The footage originates from police interrogations conducted between 2016 and 2018 as part of multiple corruption probes against Netanyahu, known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000. Those investigations centered on allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust involving gifts and media regulation favors.
In early 2023, portions of the thousands of hours of recorded interrogations were leaked via the encrypted messaging app Signal to documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney.
He and director Alexis Bloom incorporated excerpts into the film “The Bibi Files,” which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and is currently available on Tucker Carlson’s website.
Israeli courts have banned the documentary in Israel due to privacy laws governing police investigations.
The Qatari Funding Arrangement
For several years leading up to the October 7, 2023, attacks, Netanyahu’s government approved the transfer of approximately $35 million per month from Qatar to Hamas authorities in Gaza. The funds were frequently delivered in suitcases containing American currency and entered Gaza with Israeli coordination.
According to reports, Qatari officials required Netanyahu to submit the request in writing, anticipating possible future denials.
The total amount transferred exceeded $1 billion. Netanyahu has described the payments as a means to maintain calm along Israel’s southern border and prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Critics, however, argue the cash strengthened Hamas’s governance capabilities and provided resources for its military wing.
A Policy of Division?
The leaked comments have intensified accusations that Netanyahu pursued a “divide and rule” strategy. By keeping Hamas in control of Gaza and the more moderate Fatah faction in the West Bank, the policy allegedly aimed to block any unified Palestinian leadership capable of advancing peace negotiations or statehood claims.
Some former Israeli officials and analysts have described Hamas, under this approach, as a de facto counterweight to the Palestinian Authority — an arrangement that suited Netanyahu’s coalition partners on the political right who oppose territorial concessions.
Link to October 7 Attacks
Hamas’s surprise assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of over 250 hostages. The attack triggered a large-scale Israeli military campaign in Gaza that continues today.
Opponents of Netanyahu argue that the long-term funding and tolerance of Hamas contributed to the intelligence and policy failures that enabled the deadliest attack on Israel in decades.
The emergence of the interrogation clips has added fresh fuel to Israel’s deeply polarized political environment, where debates over security policy, judicial reform, and Netanyahu’s fitness to lead continue to dominate public discourse.