Thu 18 November 2021:
The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Qatar and Egypt have reached deals to provide Gaza with fuel and basic building materials.
Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, made the announcement during a ministerial meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), an international donor body for Palestinians, in Oslo.
“His Excellency [Al-Muraikhi] noted the importance of the current understandings, facilitating the movement of travelers through Rafah Border Crossing, and communication between all parties to calm the situation in the region,” the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.
The news comes as Gaza works to rebuild following an 11-day war with Israel in May. According to the Reuters news agency, roughly 2,200 homes in Gaza were demolished and 37,000 were damaged during Israel’s bombing of the territory.
At least 253 Palestinians were killed in the fighting, including dozens of children. According to Israeli officials, rockets fired by Hamas and other factions killed 13 people in Israel, including two children.
Following a ceasefire negotiated by Egypt on May 21, Hamas has made access to reconstruction funds and materials a top priority. Israel, which has had a strict land, air, and sea embargo on Gaza since 2007, restricts the entry of construction materials, claiming that Hamas utilizes them to assemble weapons for assaults.
However, after reaching an agreement with the UN and Qatar, Israel permitted Qatari financial aid to enter Gaza.
Officials in Gaza estimate that rebuilding houses and infrastructure damaged in the May violence will cost $479 million. Qatar and Egypt have each committed $500 million to help rebuild Gaza.
_____________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
