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The new payment mechanism for civil servants and poor families in the Gaza Strip will involve Palestinian Authority President Abbas and the United Nations.
The special aid envoy of the Gulf States said that Qatar will soon resume funding for civil servants and poor families in the besieged Gaza Strip under a new mechanism involving the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations.
Special envoy Mohammed al-Emadi said on Monday that after meeting the leaders of Hamas, the Palestinian organization that administers Gaza, Qatar’s suspension of civil servants and poor family allowances since May will resume in the next few days.
Since Israel launched its offensive on coastal enclaves in 2014, Doha has been underwriting reconstruction and infrastructure projects in Gaza, but another round of fighting in May prompted Israel and the United States to request changes in spending.
Al-Emadi said that “all the details of the allocation mechanism” have been “reviewed and the process will begin soon.”
A source within Hamas said that one of the problems lies in its insistence on allowing civil servants employed by the movement to benefit from Qatar’s assistance.
Emadi said that civil servants of the Hamas government in Gaza can be regarded as approved recipients “according to an agreement between the parties.”
Natural gas-rich Qatar used to spend $30 a month to help operate the only power plant in the enclave and support households and civil servants.
Al-Emadi said in a statement that Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization in the West, has approved a new payment mechanism involving rivals, the Western-backed Palestinian National Authority (PA), and the United Nations.
He did not elaborate.
Israeli officials have previously stated that the Palestinian Authority and the UN-led mechanism may involve the use of Qatar aid as a voucher rather than cash payment to prevent Hamas from diverting funds for military purposes.
COGAT, the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s agency responsible for liaising with the Palestinians, declined to comment on Qatar’s statement.
Emadi said that the new agreement also requires the full opening of border crossings with Gaza, which Israel and neighboring Egypt have been blocking. There is no direct information on when this will happen.
The delay in payment by Qatar has increased the hatred of aid-dependent Gaza. In recent days, protests have occurred near the Israeli fence east of Gaza.
Al-Emadi expressed the hope that the resumption of payments and the full opening of borders “will have a clear and positive impact on improving the reality of life in the Gaza Strip. [and] Help all parties get rid of the tension”.
Both Qatar and Egypt pledged to provide funds to help rebuild the Palestinian territories. Since 2014, Qatar has invested more than US$1 billion in Gaza projects. After the Israeli offensive killed at least 254 Palestinians (including 66 children), Qatar pledged to provide another US$500 million at the end of May.
According to the military and police, in Israel, Palestinian rockets killed 13 people, including one soldier.
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