Sheikh Thamer bin Hamad Al-Thani, head of Qatar’s Ministry of Communications since March 2023, has been identified as the senior Qatari official allegedly directing Israeli suspects in the expanding Qatargate influence campaign probe.
A member of Qatar’s ruling Al-Thani family and a Northwestern University graduate in communication and media studies, Sheikh Al-Thani met several times between 2021 and 2023 with representatives of two Israeli firms, Perception and Novard. The meetings, held in Qatar, included Israel Einhorn of Perception and retired Maj. Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai of Novard, both under investigation.
Testimonies indicate the discussions focused on public relations campaigns aimed at enhancing Qatar’s international image. Police cross-checked accounts from representatives of both firms who attended the meetings.
Investigators believe Novard personnel facilitated the connection between Perception and Qatar’s Communications Ministry. Some witnesses said meetings with Al-Thani ceased after October 7 and that the campaigns were not aimed at Israeli citizens. Authorities continue reviewing these claims as part of the broader probe.
Israeli businessman Israel Einhorn, a central figure in both the Qatargate case and a separate classified documents leak investigation, is currently residing in Serbia, where he was questioned last week by Israeli police investigators and prosecutors. Einhorn is suspected of acting as a conduit between Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and the German newspaper Bild, which published leaked classified documents believed to have originated from Israel’s defense establishment. His interrogation is part of an international cooperation effort between Israeli and Serbian authorities, with additional questioning expected.
Einhorn told investigators he believed he was authorized to release a classified Hamas-related document and was unaware it was confidential. He also said he acted at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office in other matters, including assisting with the release of munitions stuck in Europe during the recent conflict.
Separately, retired Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, a former senior IDF official entrusted with sensitive diplomatic missions involving Qatar, is under criminal investigation for alleged bribery linked to Qatargate. Court documents reveal that in 2022, Mordechai was assigned by Israel’s Foreign Ministry to coordinate logistical and security arrangements for Israeli participation in events such as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Investigators are examining allegations that Mordechai facilitated illicit connections between Qatari officials and Israeli political figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisers Jonatan Urich and Israel Einhorn.
Despite the ongoing probe, Mordechai continues to serve on the government’s hostages affairs staff, a role he has held since the outbreak of recent hostilities. Additional allegations suggest Mordechai and a former senior Mossad official used foreign companies to bypass Israel’s lack of formal diplomatic ties with Qatar, facilitating payments to political consultants.
The Qatargate investigation, led by Israel’s Lahav 433 national crime unit, is probing whether political operatives advanced Qatari interests for financial or political gain. Alongside Mordechai, suspects include political advisers and a former Netanyahu spokesperson, who remains under house arrest. Investigators are tracing a “Qatari money trail” and examining coded communications with Qatar’s intelligence services.
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Einhorn’s questioning in Serbia represents a key step in building the evidence that could lead to indictments upon the investigators’ return to Israel. Einhorn has not returned to Israel, citing concerns over possible arrest. Israeli authorities initially opposed conducting his questioning abroad but later approved the foreign deposition without detaining him.