After Hamas refusal, Qatar diverts funds to aid projects

Chairman of the National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi, said that “after the Hamas leadership informed us that it did not accept the grant for salaries, it has been agreed that the grant money be allocated for humanitarian projects”.

The funds would be used “to help poor families, to develop infrastructure, and to support the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the United Nations,” Al-Emadi continued. The first agreement with the UN would be signed on Monday, he added.

The Qatari official said he asked the Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein Al-Sheikh, to review the Palestinian Authority’s decision to withdraw its employees from the Rafah crossing, and said that the latter “promised to review the matter with President Mahmoud Abbas”.

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“The humanitarian aid from some parties has been interpreted as calm for the dollar,” he told a news conference. “This is not true, as there are other parties who are using this humanitarian aid for internal elections and political positions.”

Al-Emadi stressed that the main goal of the Qatari grant to Gaza is to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

He stressed the right of the Palestinian people to demonstrate and convey the message of their suffering to the world.