Qatari envoy says both Israel and Gaza terrorists want calm
Mohammed al-Emadi, Qatari envoy for Gaza reconstruction, announces $9 million in aid including fuel, medications, for battered strip; al-Emadi adds both sides not interested in conflict as he calls on world to donate to Gaza; envoy's vehicle convoy attacked by angry citizens outside Shifa hospital.
A Qatari envoy said Monday that both Israel and Gaza terrorists want to contain cross-border violence that has flared in recent days, as he detailed a new emergency fund to aid the blockaded territory.
"We confirm through our relationship with the two sides that they are not interested in escalation or engaging in a confrontation that could ignite the entire region," the Qatari envoy, Mohammed al-Emadi, told reporters in Gaza City.
Al-Emadi, whose country maintains contacts with the Islamic terrorist group Hamas and has hosted its leaders, coordinates Qatar's relief and reconstruction projects in Gaza. On Monday, he announced details of a $9 million emergency fund for addressing fuel and medicine shortages.
The Qatari grant includes $2 million in medical supplies and $500,000 for fuel to power backup generators in Gaza's public health centers, enough to keep them running for a month.
Trucks loaded with supplies and decorated with Qatari flags and posters of the oil-rich sheikhdom's rulers could be seen outside Gaza City's main Shifa hospital on Monday, where al-Emadi and UN officials spoke.
Hospital cleaning workers demonstrated their support during the ceremony, holding signs reading "Thank you, Qatar." They have been on a strike for 10 days, demanding payment from the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) are locked in a dispute over who is responsible for paying them.
Angry Gazans attack envoy’s convoy
Al-Emadi’s convoy was attacked by throngs of Gaza civilians outside the Shifa Hospital press conference. Attackers, who were repelled by Palestinian security forces, complained that Qatar is only deepening the divide between Hamas and the PA. Angry residents also demanded that aid money should be dispersed directly to the citizens of Gaza instead of to public institutions.
Last week, al-Emadi surprised many when he announced that in order to deliver aid to Gaza, it was necessary to engage with Israel. He called on the international community to send assistance and warned of dire consequences for the people of Gaza if a new round of fighting broke out.
Al-Emadi told The Associated Press that he hopes that his country’s donation will spur other nations to donate. Although Qatar has no diplomatic relations with Israel, he said that the Arabs have no choice but to engage with Israel, otherwise nothing would get done.
Under al-Emadi, Qatar has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in major projects in Gaza including paving highways, rebuilding hospitals and building apartment houses. He himself oversees the projects from up close.
Earlier Monday, Israel's military struck what it said was an underground terror infrastructure site in Gaza in response to rocket fire. The military has struck various targets in Gaza in recent days and killed two Palestinians who tried to infiltrate Israel after a bomb on the border wounded four Israeli soldiers. There were no reports of casualties from the latest strike.
Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas wrested control of the territory from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in 2007. A dispute over money and revenue collections has stalled a reconciliation deal between Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, which Egypt brokered in October.
Abbas has since stepped up financial pressure on Gaza. Hamas says the cuts are endangering the functioning of Gaza hospitals.
The Gaza border area has been generally quiet since a 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in 2014. But it has seen an increase in violence since President Donald Trump's announcement in December recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
