Israeli officials accused Qatar' s Emir Sheikh Hamed bin Khalifa al Thani for having "thrown peace under the bus," following his Tuesday visit to Hamas-ruled Gaza, local news outlets reported.

The Qatari ruler is the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over it in 2007.

He attended a cornerstone of a housing complex bearing his name, and announced that Qatar is increasing its grant to Gaza from 254 million to 400 million U.S. dollars.

"His visit is hurting the Palestinians and the chance of pulling Gaza out of the mud it has been in for the past five years, and onto the road for peace," a foreign ministry official told the Ynet news website.

"It's funny that Qatar's ruler intervenes in the internal Palestinian conflict and chooses to support Hamas," the official said, adding that the Emir is placing himself with the likes of " violent extremists."

"His money will only serve to drive its benefactors deeper into corruption, hatred and excess. It will highlight the damage Hamas causes to the Palestinian people," the official added.

The official also said that the visit is hurtful to the Palestinian Fatah-leadership in the West Bank.

Israel and Qatar have sustained a secret diplomatic relations for some time, and Israel has even opened an office representing its economic interests in Qatar.

The relations, however, deteriorated following Qatar's disapproval of the 2009 Gaza war, and closed the office, which has not been reopened since.

During the meeting with the Qatari Emir, who entered the strip via the Rafah crossing in Egypt, Hamas prime minister in Gaza Ismail Haneya reiterated the "Palestinians' claim on historic Palestine," insisting they should not give up "an inch of the historic land."

Haneya further said that the high-profile visit proves as a " declaration of victory against the siege," referring to the blockade Israeli imposed on Gaza.