Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared Qatar a "hostile" state and boasted that Israel bombed Doha during its war on Gaza, in remarks made during a televised interview shared on social media. The comments come ahead of the September 9 anniversary of Israel's 2025 strike on the Qatari capital, which killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer during ceasefire negotiations, and drew widespread international condemnation including from UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Netanyahu also defended his government's facilitation of Qatari funds into Gaza, saying the transfers were made on the advice of Israeli intelligence agencies and were intended for humanitarian aid — pushing back against domestic critics who allege the money helped Hamas prepare its October 7, 2023 attack. The remarks come weeks before Israel's general election on October 27, with analysts noting that Netanyahu has a pattern of escalating foreign tensions in the lead-up to votes to consolidate nationalist support.