Hamas: We didn't approve UN's Gaza reconstruction plan

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has opposed the United Nations plans to reconstruct Gaza, a senior leader said.

In a statement published on Facebook, Mousa Abu-Marzouk said that the plan Robert Serry, the United Nations envoy to the Middle East, had made sidelined Hamas and did not receive any official approval from the movement.

He stressed that Hamas will work with all the relevant organisations to modify and correct the plan. The greatest error, Abu-Marzouk explained, was Israel’s ability to decide who would benefit from the reconstruction, its ability control the amount of materials people received to rebuild their homes, Tel Aviv’s objection to reconstruction in certain areas, in addition to the long and complicated procedures it has put in place to hinder reconstruction.

The senior Hamas official said the organisation refused to have UN be a party in the indirect talks held in Cairo regarding the reconstruction of Gaza, saying the parties insisted on having the Palestinian Authority responsible for reconstruction through the national unity government.

He also said that Hamas handed over management of the Gaza Strip to the unity government which lagged behind in carrying out its responsibilities, stressing that his movement were not a party to any formal agreement on the reconstruction of Gaza.

“Hamas was not an acceptable member for many international parties, including the American and the Israeli entity.”

He pointed out that Hamas has insisted, through indirect negotiations, to the lifting of the siege on Gaza, the opening of border crossings and for reconstruction materials to be allowed into the Strip easily.

In September, the UN announced a plan to create a system to ship badly needed reconstruction materials to Gaza while sidelining Hamas. According to diplomatic sources the plan includes the deployment of hundreds of international inspectors to monitor the reconstruction.