'We are all Hamas': Qatari defense minister posts, then deletes message in support of Hamas

Qatari deputy prime minister and defense affairs minister Sa'oud bin Abd Al-Rahman Al Thani this week posted and quickly deleted a Twitter/X post in support of Hamas: “We Are all Hamas… Oh Al-Quds, revolt and commemorate Al-Qassam!”

Thani, who was appointed in November as Qatar’s deputy prime minister and defense affairs minister, has served as head of the Emiri Diwan for several years before that.

The tweet was first exposed by independent analyst and blogger Eitan Fischberger.

Can anyone guess who this man is? The one who posted, “We are all Hamas” during the 2014 Israel-Hamas mini war?That's right: He's now the Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar and its Minister of Defense pic.twitter.com/2POxCOjf4E — Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) March 25, 2025

However, the Qatari minister quickly deleted the post, along with other posts endorsing Hamas, in an attempt to erase his history of support for the terrorist group.

Further examples of Thani's problematic rhetoric, including claims that Israel “controls” the US, and alleging that ‘Al-Quds is the capital of Palestine,’ were also exposed by the Washington, DC-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

In their expose, MEMRI added: “over the years, Al Thani posted messages in which he supported Hamas, incited against Israel and criticized the US and President Donald Trump. He also called to increase Qatar's influence on decision-makers in the US” Palestinian fighters from the armed wing of Hamas take part in a military parade to mark the anniversary of the 2014 war with Israel, near the border in the central Gaza Strip, July 19, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)

The Qatari minister also wrote in a November 30, 2021 tweet, that Israel "controls" the US and called to increase Qatar's influence on American decision-makers. He wrote: "Israel's control of the US is clear. We must plan how to influence the decision-makers in the US," one of his followers wrote in response: "I wish it was that easy," and Aal Thani replied, "With correct planning and a strong will, everything is possible."

Additionally, Al Thani was seen in a picture from 2012 touring Doha with former Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, while he was serving as head of the Qatari Olympic Committee.

Support of Hamas within the Qatari leadership

This instance of support for Hamas is hardly new for the Qatari leadership. In the summer of 2024, Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, head of the Qatar Foundation and mother of the current Emir of Qatar, eulogized former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar following his killing in Gaza, commenting: “The name Yahya means the one who lives. They thought he died, but he lives. Like his namesake, Yahya bin Zakariya [John the Baptist], he will live on, and they will be gone,” plausibly referencing Israel.

Likewise, the Qatari Emir himself, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, sat at the forefront of prayers during the funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in August. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari also praised Hamas’s violence in the past, casting new doubts as for Qatar’s attempt to describe itself as an “honest broker” in Mideast affairs and hostage talks.