Hamas Approves New Solution to Qatari Grant Crisis

Rescuers search for people in the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on May 16, 2021. (Reuters)
Rescuers search for people in the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on May 16, 2021. (Reuters)
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Hamas Approves New Solution to Qatari Grant Crisis

Rescuers search for people in the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on May 16, 2021. (Reuters)
Rescuers search for people in the rubble of a building at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on May 16, 2021. (Reuters)

Palestinian political sources have revealed that the Hamas movement has agreed to a new solution to the crisis over the transfer of the Qatari grant to the Gaza Strip.

The solution calls for Israel and the United States to review and approve the list of people who are qualified to receive the aid, the sources told Israeli media.

Jack Khoury, a correspondent at Haaretz, said: “Hamas agreed not just because of the Israeli and American demands, but also because of pressure from the Palestinian banks which will transfer the Qatari money to Gaza, sources involved in the matter said. The banks are afraid they will be exposed to lawsuits if the money reaches members of terrorist organizations.”

He added that Hamas “understands that any aid will contribute to the stability in the Gaza Strip.”

Several Israeli sources warned that delaying the Qatari grant to Gaza and freezing the funds for any reason will deepen the economic crisis, which may lead to new tension and security escalation.

The Israel Defense website reported that Hamas is running out of patience, noting that the conditions set by Israel and logistical obstacles are complicating the situation.

The report indicated that a swift solution is required, perhaps transferring the money in briefcases as was the case in the past, because Israel is not interested in a military escalation with Hamas at this stage.

According to Haaretz, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his ministers accused former PM Benjamin Netanyahu of funding Hamas through the Qatari funds. For this, they decided to change this policy and set new rules.

Qatar had agreed to provide the Gaza Strip with $30 million a month, $100 to be paid to about 100,000 families, in addition to the salaries of government employees.

However, Israel and the Palestinian Authority have opposed payments to employees of the Hamas government. Tel Aviv views these payments as a form of support to terrorism, while Ramallah says they fuel the Palestinian division.

Given that the PA banking system is refusing to participate in an outline to facilitate the transfer of Qatari aid into the Strip, fearing such cooperation would expose them to legal actions on the grounds of supporting and funding terrorism, Washington suggested that Israel review the list of Gazans who need assistance.

Israel would also omit the names of Hamas activists from the list. This way, the banks would be covered by the US partnership.



Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Man in West Bank

A picture taken in the village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah city shows the nearby Israeli Shilo settlement in the background, in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A picture taken in the village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah city shows the nearby Israeli Shilo settlement in the background, in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Man in West Bank

A picture taken in the village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah city shows the nearby Israeli Shilo settlement in the background, in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
A picture taken in the village of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah city shows the nearby Israeli Shilo settlement in the background, in the occupied West Bank on February 18, 2024. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)

Palestinian authorities said Israeli troops killed a 55-year-old man in the north of the occupied West Bank on Thursday -- an incident the Israeli army said involved a stabbing attack.

The Ramallah-based health ministry said the body in charge of coordination with Israel informed it that soldiers "shot and killed" the man in Rummanah, near Jenin, in the morning.

The Israeli military said separately that troops deployed in the village "neutralised" a man after he stabbed and "moderately injured" a soldier, AFP reported.

The army generally uses the term "neutralised" after killing someone.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has soared since the Hamas attack of October 2023.

A 12-year-old Palestinian boy died Thursday of wounds suffered during an army raid near the West Bank town of Nablus last week, the health ministry said.

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 951 Palestinians, including many militants, the ministry said.

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Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.