Qatar’s double game with Israel was particularly evident last week in two events that took place on Tuesday evening — one in Doha and the other in Paris. For nearly a year, Qatar has played a central role in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and a hostage release deal.
Last week, a special screening of the film The Evidence was held at Qatar's National Museum in Doha. Senior Qatari officials, including State for International Cooperation Minister Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, attended the event. The film, produced by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, criticizes the IDF’s actions in Gaza amid the ongoing war.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry’s Media & Communication Department Director Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashemi opened the event with a speech, saying, "The righteousness of the Palestinian cause is beyond doubt. There are no gray areas here. Either we stand on the side of truth or we don’t. While truth doesn’t harm those who distance themselves from it, a person loses part of their humanity and their mission on Earth if they stray from it."
The Qatari official claimed it was important that the film "documents crimes and monitors the violations of Israeli forces in Gaza," stressing that "we must ensure they don’t escape punishment."
He thanked Qatar Museums for their cooperation in organizing the event and praised the filmmakers and Anadolu Agency for taking on the production "during a time when the international media landscape is seeing systematic efforts to silence the voice of the Palestinian cause."
During a panel following the screening, director Abdulkadir Karakelle said that the journalists involved in the film put in a lot of effort and faced difficulties in delivering footage from Gaza. He added the film received very positive feedback, saying, "Millions of people need to see it and put pressure on politicians, particularly decision-makers worldwide, to adopt anti-Israel stances."
The Qatari Foreign Ministry was proud of the event and posted on its X account the following the day after the screening. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Qatar Museums, held a screening of the documentary The Evidence last night, which tracks Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians."
The gala screening in Qatar on Tuesday coincided with a meeting in Paris between National Unity Party Chairman Benny Gantz, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani, hostages’ families and World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder. The Paris meeting was described as positive and constructive. However, Qatari discourse about Israel during those same hours was notably less favorable.
Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, one of the senior Qatari officials present at the screening, has been actively working to support Gazans throughout the war. She has been promoting aid deliveries to Gaza and rallying support and donations for the Palestinians.
In November 2023, she visited Gaza with a Qatari delegation to meet with injured Gazans, and in April visited the Rafah crossing, posting on her X account after the visit during Ramadan. "We were at the Rafah crossing to oversee the delivery of aid, confirm Gaza is at the heart of our concerns and ensure continued support for the Palestinian people."
In that same post, she criticized Israel, claiming it "places obstacles to prevent the delivery of aid to Gaza."
The Turkish film's premiere took place on April 17. Before the film, a book titled The Evidence was also released, produced by Anadolu Agency, which includes war photos from Gaza. Some of the photos featured in the book were presented at the International Criminal Court in The Hague as part of an appeal against Israel filed by South Africa alongside other countries.
Emine Erdogan, the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, issued a letter to Anadolu Agency for the film's premiere in April, where she spoke out against Israel claiming the film was "one of the most important documents of this century, which will pass on the truth about Israeli massacres to future generations."
She praised the journalists who "continue their work on the frontlines in the most difficult circumstances to bring Israel's illegal practices to the International Criminal Court.”