FACT CHECK: Did Qatar Threaten To Stop Gas Supplies To The World If Bombing Of Gaza Did Not Stop?
A viral post shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, claims Qatar purportedly threatened to stop gas supplies to the world if bombing in Gaza did not stop.
#BREAKING: The State of Qatar threatened to stop gas supplies to the world if the bombing of Gaza did not stop
— Royal Intel 👑 (@RoyalIntel_) October 11, 2023
Verdict: False
There is no evidence supporting the claim. The claim was also shared on X by @Qattar_Affairs, which has been exposed for spreading “fake news,” according to an Oct. 12 Doha News article.
Fact Check:
Israel has called for a “complete siege” on Gaza following a surprise attack from Hamas on Oct. 7, according to CNN. Israel has cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel to Gaza until hostages being held by Hamas are freed, the outlet reported.
“#BREAKING: The State of Qatar threatened to stop gas supplies to the world if the bombing of Gaza did not stop,” the X post, viewed over 200,000 times, purports. The post did not provide a source to support the claim.
The claim is false, however. The claim was also shared on X by @Qattar_Affairs, which has been exposed for spreading “fake news,” according to an Oct. 12 Doha News article. The account was previously exposed by Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University in Qatar, back in 2021, the outlet reported.
Jones said the account is used to try and paint Qatar in “a negative light” and that it “masquerades as a legitimate news account” by making its content look like that of a “standard Qatar news account” while also sharing disinformation.
In addition, the account resembles that of @Qatar_Affairs, which was suspended in 2017. According to Doha News, both accounts are “believed to be linked to the United Arab Emirates’ propaganda machine.”
Likewise, an Oct. 11 Financial Times article covering the recent Israel-Hamas conflict mentions only that Qatar has held talks with both Israel and Hamas about reaching a deal where hostages would be released. The article does not provide any evidence to support the claim made via the viral X post.
Furthermore, Check Your Fact found no other credible news reports supporting the claim. Qatar’s Government Communications Office also has not publicly commented on the claim. (RELATED: Photo Of Azerbaijan Skyscrapers Lit With Israeli Flag Predates Israel-Hamas Conflict)
Check Your Fact has contacted Qatar’s Government Communications Office for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.