Short answers, pulled from the story.
Middle East Eye is formally owned by M.E.E. Limited, whose sole director is Jamal Bessasso, who holds more than 75% of the shares and voting rights. Editor-in-chief David Hearst has denied that Bessasso is the true owner but has refused to name who actually owns the outlet.
Middle East Eye denies receiving funding from Qatar and will not disclose its funding sources, but it is widely believed to be funded by the Qatari government. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain have all made this accusation.
Middle East Eye launched in London in April 2014. According to critics, the outlet began forming in London in 2013, when several Al Jazeera journalists joined the project.
Yes, Jamal Khashoggi wrote for Middle East Eye for about two years before joining The Washington Post. His op-eds were not credited to him at the time due to concerns for his safety.
The United Arab Emirates blocked Middle East Eye nationwide on the 29th of June 2016 after it published reports on the Yemen war and human rights issues. Egypt blocked it after 2019 protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Jordan's Media Commission blocked it in May 2025 after an investigation into fees charged to Gaza aid NGOs.
Yes, in April 2020 Middle East Eye was one of 20 websites targeted in a watering hole attack. Cybersecurity researchers at ESET linked the attack to an Israeli surveillance company called Candiru.