Reports in the Palestinian press note that another tranche of Qatari money arrived in Gaza on June 16. Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Amadi entered Gaza through the Erez crossing and deposited millions of dollars in the branch of the postal service bank on Omar al-Mukhtar Street in Gaza City. It was also reported that the installment is supposed to be distributed to needy families, with each receiving $100. After a series of delays, distribution began, with 60,000 families receiving the grant. While this is a minuscule amount by Western standards, it is no exaggeration to say that in Gaza, it saves countless lives.

Since October 2018, Qatar has distributed tens of millions of dollars to some 100,000 needy families in Gaza. Yet, this is just a drop in the bucket. Gaza is home to about 2 million residents stricken by an astronomical unemployment rate that exceeded 50% in 2018.

Over the last few months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come under considerable criticism for allowing the transfer of Qatari money to Gaza. His political rivals accused him of having surrendered to Hamas and of paying them protection money. Recently, however, criticism has been much less scathing, perhaps because the next round of campaigning for Knesset elections, scheduled for Sept. 17, hasn’t really started, and party members are still tired from the last elections, held in April. It is also possible that Israelis have simply come to accept that money from Qatar, not from Israel, is flowing into Gaza, and believe that the recipients of the small sum distributed have been approved by the Shin Bet and are not involved in terrorist activities.

In any event, this arrangement, which is a political risk for Netanyahu, has reduced the likelihood of a major armed conflict with Hamas. Although a few brief rounds of violence have erupted in the last few months, they have all been cut short by a series of Egyptian-mediated cease-fires.