Qatar handles the aftermath of the QNA hacking incident

In spite of the claim that the news released after the hacking of the Qatar News Agency (QNA) site was fake, broadcasters in the region, including some in the United Arab Emirates, continued to air stories about the news without heeding Qatar’s statement that it was fake.

The hackers published false statements by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, expressing support for issues that are known to be delicate.

Issues as sensitive as the Palestine-Israel conflict and relations with Iran were brought up, along with negative comments on Qatar’s relationship with the United States and President Donald Trump. Some websites have gone as far as to claim that the Agency was not, in fact, hacked at all.

The Washington Post went as far as to say that the hack exposed “real tensions” over Qatar’s independent foreign policy.

Luckily, things have been on the mend since the hack, though tensions soared almost as high as they had in 2014, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar over its backing of then-Egyptian President and Brotherhood member, Mohammed Morsi.

If anything, the attack highlighted the need to amp up cyber-security in the country, and the government has responded in kind, releasing a statement that, “Qatar will track down and prosecute the perpetrators”.

The Qatari public has expressed its support for HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, with a popular image of him trending on social media as people have rallied behind him.

Photo Credit: Alaraby.com