GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The $150 million that the Qatar Development Fund pledged last month in aid for Gaza has begun to provide some relief to Gazans and their faltering economy.
At a Nov. 6 press conference in Gaza City, representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Social Development and Labor in Gaza announced that the Qatari assistance will go toward cash handouts, temporary employment projects and paying a portion of government employees' salaries.
Youssef Ibrahim, undersecretary of the Ministry of Social Development, told Al-Monitor, “Financial aid worth 700 shekels ($200) was disbursed Nov. 7 from the Qatari grant to 5,000 individuals. These include families of martyrs who fell in the Great Return March protests, people who were seriously wounded and others who underwent amputations during the same protests.” On Nov. 10, the Ministry of Social Development provided 50,000 poor families with a $100 in assistance.
Moussa al-Sammak, undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor, had informed Al-Monitor, “Ten thousand individuals will be selected for a temporary two-phase employment program. The first phase began Nov. 18, with the announcement of the names of 5,000 graduates and workers who will be offered six-month jobs. The other 5,000 will be announced during the second phase.” Sammak did not specify when the second phase will start.
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