“Thousands Rally at Habima Against ‘Qatargate’: Bereaved Sister: ‘Betrayal Cost My Family Lives’”

 Thousands of demonstrators gathered Saturday night at Habima Square to protest what they describe as the “Qatargate” affair, accusing senior figures in the Prime Minister’s Office of allowing Qatari interests to infiltrate Israel’s decision-making at critical moments before and during the war.

Among the speakers was Merav Svirsky, whose parents were murdered in Bari and whose brother was kidnapped and later killed after 99 days in Hamas captivity. Addressing the crowd, Svirsky delivered a searing personal indictment.

“The price of betrayal is that I lost my parents and my brother,” she said. “What we are learning now is mind-blowing. This is the most serious betrayal affair in the history of the state.”

Svirsky questioned how foreign interests were allegedly able to penetrate the Prime Minister’s Office. “How did the interests of an enemy state influence decisions made here — decisions that cost countless human lives, including those of my family?” she asked.

She also challenged the political leadership directly. “How is it possible that the prime minister, who backs employees suspected of betraying the country, is still in office?” Svirsky said. “When the money that flowed into his office is the same money that funded the massacre of my family — how can this continue even today?”

Former Police Chief Warns Ministers: ‘You Bear Legal Responsibility’

Former Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh also spoke at the demonstration, delivering a stark warning to cabinet ministers and senior officials.

“You bear legal responsibility,” Alsheikh said. “Even if the prime minister does not share it with you.”

Alsheikh revealed that in June 2017, Israel had what he described as a “historic opportunity” to halt Qatar’s influence campaign in the United States, after several moderate Arab states declared Qatar a sponsor of terrorism and severed diplomatic ties.

“Instead of acting in Israel’s interests,” Alsheikh said, “Israel helped whitewash Qatar in Washington and effectively entrenched it as a sponsor of Hamas in Gaza — under the doctrine that ‘Hamas is an asset.’”

He stressed that responsibility rested with the country’s leadership. “This was not the work of junior aides,” he said. “This was policy set at the top.”

‘The Greatest Disaster Since the State’s Founding’

According to Alsheikh, the consequences of those decisions were devastating. “The result is clear,” he said. “The greatest disaster since the establishment of the state — murder, kidnapping, rape, arson, looting, and destruction.”

He rejected claims that empowering Hamas was meant to prevent escalation. “Anyone who believed this policy would bring disengagement or stability was gravely mistaken,” he said.

Alsheikh further alleged that even after the Qatargate affair was exposed, individuals connected to the Prime Minister’s Office continued to promote a Qatari-backed campaign against Egypt — a move he said undermined hostage negotiations.

“Do you really need WhatsApp messages to understand what happened?” Alsheikh asked. “Did you think silence would bring forgiveness?”

Calls for a State Commission of Inquiry

Both speakers called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry, warning that accountability would be unavoidable.

“The commission will ask you,” Alsheikh said, addressing ministers directly, “‘What did you do to ensure you were not serving interests hostile to the State of Israel? That you were not, God forbid, part of a betrayal?’”

He concluded by criticizing the government’s decision to elevate Qatar as a key mediator. “Qatar was embraced and crowned as chief mediator,” Alsheikh said, “at the expense of Egypt — Hamas’s enemy.”

The demonstration ended with renewed calls for resignations, criminal investigations, and full transparency over alleged foreign influence at the highest levels of government.