Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar's former emir who passed away on Sunday, is being remembered as a steadfast ally of the Palestinian people and the only Arab leader to physically break the crippling siege on the Gaza Strip.
In October 2012, six years after Israel imposed its blockade following the 2006 Palestinian elections, Sheikh Hamad visited the embattled territory. Accompanied by his wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, and a high-level delegation, he bypassed the political isolation imposed on Gaza by Western powers and regional actors, receiving a massive welcome.
Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas's diaspora office, told Al Jazeera: "He was the first Arab and Muslim leader to visit Gaza, standing by its side with chivalry and magnanimity, as if officially announcing the breaking of the siege in its darkest circumstances. He was intelligent, brave and a man of principles."
Ahmed al-Sheikh, a senior journalist and former news director at Al Jazeera Arabic, noted that the emir had "a special kind of love for Palestine" and asked: "Has any other leader in the Arab world done that [visit to Gaza], except Hamad bin Khalifa?" He explained that the emir saw everyone neglecting Gaza and decided to act.
During that landmark visit, Sheikh Hamad announced an increase in Qatar's reconstruction grant from $254 million to $400 million, laying the foundation for housing, infrastructure, and healthcare projects. At the Islamic University of Gaza, which awarded him and Sheikha Moza honorary doctorates, he praised Palestinian resilience and criticized international double standards.
Personal Pain and the 'Spearhead' of Liberation
Sheikh Hamad's commitment predated the blockade. In 1999, he became the first Gulf leader to visit the Palestinian territories since 1967. According to al-Sheikh, when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon besieged Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, the emir felt as if Qatar itself was under attack. He regretted never visiting Jerusalem before its 1967 occupation and commissioned a documentary on the holy city. He believed in Palestinian agency: "You will do the primary action and without this action there can be no liberation."
Defying Regional Consensus
Sheikh Hamad's stance often put him at odds with Gulf Cooperation Council members. During Israel's 2008–2009 war on Gaza, he called for an emergency Arab summit in Doha, proposing a $250 million reconstruction fund and a maritime corridor. When the summit lacked quorum, he expressed his disappointment on live television: "God is sufficient for us and he is the best disposer of affairs."
His financial pledges funded vital infrastructure, including Sheikh Hamad City in Khan Younis—a $58 million housing project for low-income families—and the Sheikh Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics, which opened in 2019 and became the premier facility for amputees and children with hearing impairments.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has systematically erased much of this infrastructure. Satellite imagery from May 2026 confirms that Hamad City and surrounding areas have been wiped from the map. However, the Sheikh Hamad Hospital resumed vital services last December despite direct attacks and shortages, operating the only CT scanner in northern Gaza and opening a new branch in the south to cope with a 225 percent increase in amputation cases.
Sheikh Hamad's support for Gaza remains a tangible legacy that will endure for generations.