Qatar has stopped supporting infrastructure projects carried out by the municipalities of Gaza Strip and have been run and controlled by Hamas since the end of 2007, revealed an official report issued by Gaza Municipality and published on Monday.
This is the first official announcement by a Hamas-affiliated group that Qatari support and fund for projects in Gaza has stopped.
On August 18, Asharq Al-Awsat revealed a Qatari approach to reducing support for Gaza, based on a formal political decision from Doha.
Qatar has earlier closed Sheikh Eid bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association and stopped its activities in Gaza.
The association contributed to large humanitarian programs, including health, education and agricultural projects for the needy and the poor.
According to the report, Qatar has halted all infrastructure projects that were provided by its associations in Gaza, causing a real crisis within Gaza Municipality and other municipalities.
It pointed out that this suspension caused the decrease in temporary projects and the collection and transfer of waste.
The report noted that the cessation of the country’s support coincided with the suspension of the German Development Bank (KFW) grant, worth $50 million, for the water and sanitation sector.
The municipality said that the suspension of national and international funding, in addition to the difficult economic and living conditions in the Strip, are affecting all aspects of life in a disastrous way,
until it has reached very critical stages, which has affected the municipality negatively.
It noted that the current conditions in Gaza, and the cessation of a large number of external grants allocated to municipalities, have affected the financial and operational situation and caused a significant reduction in revenues during January.
