Qatar renews Gaza aid amid Gulf reconciliation
Qatar has agreed to renew its grant to the Gaza Strip despite reconciliation with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which previously requested Doha cut ties with Hamas.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has agreed to offer a new grant to the Gaza Strip, in response to the calls and efforts of Hamas’ politburo chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who met with the emir Jan. 10 in Doha to congratulate him on the Gulf reconciliation.
In a Zoom meeting Jan. 12 with the local newspaper, Felesteen, head of Hamas’ International Relations Office Mousa Abu Marzouk said, “The emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, informed us of the renewal of the Qatari grant for a year, instead of six months.” He said the monthly amount provided for the Gaza Strip as part of the grant will go up to $30 million from a previous $25 million grant.
The Qatari grant, which has been renewed every six months since October 2018, was Doha’s contribution to the de-escalation efforts between Hamas and Israel, which at the time included Israel’s approval to implement humanitarian and economic projects in the Gaza Strip and the easing of the blockade in exchange for halting the weekly Great Return marches.
Qatar’s decision to renew its grant to the Gaza Strip came days after reconciliation between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
