Israel's military said its air force carried out a precise strike on senior Hamas leadership in Doha on Tuesday, a development that Palestinian officials said struck negotiators gathered to discuss a U.S. ceasefire proposal.
Several explosions were reported in the Qatari capital in the afternoon. Hamas said the Israeli Defence Forces targeted negotiators; Saudi media and other regional outlets reported that top figures including Khalil al-Hayya, Zaher Jabarin, Khaled Mashal, Nizar Awadallah and Mousa Abu Marzook were present at the buildings hit. The Israeli army issued the initial announcement but provided few operational details.
The strikes and the presence of senior officials in Doha renewed scrutiny of long-standing allegations that some Hamas leaders live abroad in relative luxury while the Gaza Strip endures a severe humanitarian emergency. Israeli diplomatic sources and a range of media outlets have published differing estimates of the personal wealth and assets linked to senior Hamas figures, and have accused the group's leadership of diverting funds away from civilian needs.
The Israeli embassy in Washington has been among the most prominent sources of large net-worth estimates, saying senior figures such as Khaled Mashal and Mousa Abu Marzouk have amassed billions of dollars. German media outlet Bild, i24News and other outlets have similarly reported on residences, private jets and foreign travel by senior Hamas officials, citing social media posts and investigative material. Those accounts vary widely in specifics and valuation, and independent verification of many personal asset claims is limited.
Humanitarian agencies and researchers say conditions in Gaza have deteriorated sharply since the conflict intensified more than two years ago. The World Health Organization said in July that nearly 12,000 children under five were identified as having acute malnutrition. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has warned that more than half a million people in Gaza face an "entirely man-made" famine risk that could lead to "starvation, destitution and death." Israel has disputed some IPC findings, rejecting claims that there is widespread starvation and accusing Hamas of stealing or mismanaging aid.
Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since 2006 and runs a range of civilian institutions there, including parts of the healthcare system, social services and media. It is also designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and other countries. Israeli statements and reporting by foreign media have long alleged that the group's political and financial networks operate across multiple countries, generating revenue through a combination of foreign donations, commercial enterprises, taxation and informal trade conducted via tunnel networks.
Analyses from the U.S. Treasury Department, the Council on Foreign Relations and reporting in European media have documented elements of Hamas's external finance mechanisms. In May 2022 the U.S. Treasury sanctioned a Hamas finance official and others linked to a network described as an "Investment Office" that held assets estimated at more than $500 million and included companies operating in Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates. Documents reported by Germany's Welt am Sonntag have described additional assets outside Gaza valued at several hundred million euros.
Analysts say Hamas has also collected revenues from taxes and fees on goods entering Gaza, including via tunnels that avoid the Egyptian-controlled crossing at Rafah, and that foreign state and private donors — notably Iran, and to a lesser extent Qatar and Turkey according to various reports — have provided funds, weapons and other support. The CFR has estimated Iran's annual support to a range of armed groups, including Hamas, at around $100 million per year.
Journalistic accounts have detailed lifestyles of senior figures that appear disconnected from the living conditions of most Palestinians in the Strip. Publications have cited social media posts and public appearances in luxury hotels and foreign capitals. German tabloid Bild and other outlets have named specific figures — including former political leader Ismail Haniyeh, assassinated in July 2024 according to Israeli reports, and Khaled Mashal, who has lived in Qatar and elsewhere — as examples of senior officials reportedly spending time abroad.
Critics point to the contrast between those reported lifestyles and the shortages inside Gaza of food, clean water and medical supplies. A 2021 study cited in reporting on Gaza linked water pollution to disease spread and attributed a share of young-child deaths to infections related to contaminated water. Observers and aid groups have long said that dependence on humanitarian assistance was widespread in Gaza even before the most recent fighting.
Hamas and its representatives dispute some allegations about the use of funds and responsibility for civilian welfare. In 2023 Mousa Abu Marzouk, identified in media accounts as a senior member of the group's political bureau, said the bureau was not responsible for protecting Gaza's civilians in active hostilities and described the group's military tactics as defensive. Hamas has said that many officials live abroad because of security threats and political exile and that funds are used in part to sustain political and diplomatic activity.
Differing assessments of the scale and sources of Hamas's wealth complicate efforts to draw definitive conclusions about how money is allocated. Estimates of assets and turnover cited in public statements vary markedly by source, and many investigative claims rely on documents and intelligence that are not publicly available for independent verification. U.S., European and regional governments have pursued sanctions, asset freezes and other measures aimed at restricting the financial networks of designated groups.
As the conflict continues, the juxtaposition of allegations about senior leaders' wealth and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza is likely to remain a focus of international scrutiny. Governments, aid agencies and media outlets continue to report on both the immediate security developments — including the strike in Doha — and the wider questions about financing, governance and civilian protection in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.