The Gaza Strip-ruling part Hamas informed Qatar’s ambassador, Mohammed al-Emadi that the group has refused grant offered earlier by Qatar.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said on Thursday Israel had broken previous agreements brokered by Qatar and Egypt. He said Hamas had told Qatar’s ambassador, Mohammed al-Emadi, that it refused the money “in response to the occupation policy”.
“We will not accept that Gaza and the understandings are part of the blackmail and the electoral process in the occupation,” he said.
Al-Hayya blamed Israel for sidetracking understandings arranged with Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar, stressing that return marches will continue “Palestinian national rights are retrieved and goals are realized.”
“The Palestinians will take their rights,” he added.
Hamas’ decision came as a shock to the Qatari ambassador, who eventually considered the move as understandable. The group’s decision followed Israel approving the transfer of Qatari funds to Gaza.
Israel allowed the transfer of funds to Gaza after they were deferred by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the shooting of Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border. Israeli sources confirmed that the Israeli security establishment supported the transfer of funds, in order to avoid any escalation.
According to the sources, part of this position is related to the fact that Israeli security is convinced that Hamas is not behind the recent attacks.
Former Israeli strategic and intelligence affairs minister Yuval Steinitz said that Doha’s grant would probably arrive in Gaza on Friday, adding in an interview with the official Israeli radio that Israel’s “policy was always to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Steinitz denied that the funds go to Hamas’ armed wings and are dedicated to civil workers in the Hamas-ruled area, but said militants will inevitably force their way into getting a portion of the funds.
“They are employees in Gaza. They are under better surveillance than they were in the past. But as everywhere, there are terrorists there, and I suppose they will succeed in getting something and stealing something from their citizens.”
In November Qatar began a six-month, $150 million program to fund the wages and shipments of fuel for power generation in Gaza. The staggered payments, widely seen as a Qatari bid to increase its regional role through winning over Hamas’ Islamist leadership.
However, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas was angry over Israel’s blackmail policy, saying Israel would stop or allow the funds through whenever it wishes. Sources also said Hamas blasted the Israelis for presenting a new mechanism for funds transfer.
The Hamas leadership is expected to hold a meeting son to discuss the next stage.
