Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said yesterday that Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen has in recent days been in contact with senior Qatari officials to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. Israel estimates that the dire economic situation in Gaza has generated the past week’s tensions. Thus, Jerusalem is trying to convince Qatar to continue transferring financial aid to Gaza after August and the months to follow, as Qatar did the past two years. Israeli authorities believe that if Doha commits to transferring more aid, tensions on the border might die down.

According to other reports, Israel now estimates that the recent wave of explosive-laden balloons launched from Gaza was carried out by direct instruction from Hamas. The group is apparently demanding that Israel eases restrictions on the Strip and advances in talks over a prisoner-exchange deal, which would also include development projects.

Reacting to Kan's report on the Mossad, Qatar Envoy Mohammed al-Emadi said there was nothing new in the publication, noting that Qatar’s contacts with Israel are carried out in the framework of efforts to provide aid to Gaza.

Qatar has been providing the Strip with millions of dollars in cash since 2018, with the approval and sometimes even encouragement of Israel. Qatari money has been used to pay for fuel for the Strip’s power plant, to pay salaries of Hamas civil servants and as direct financial assistance to tens of thousands of impoverished families in Gaza. Israel has reportedly agreed to these transfers in exchange for Hamas ensuring calm in the south and as part of efforts to reach a long-term cease-fire.