Qatari Fund to Gaza to be Settled Soon

A field on fire is seen after Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons (Reuters)
A field on fire is seen after Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons (Reuters)
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Qatari Fund to Gaza to be Settled Soon

A field on fire is seen after Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons (Reuters)
A field on fire is seen after Palestinians in Gaza sent incendiary balloons (Reuters)

The Palestinian Authority (PA) is working to remove the obstacles preventing the delivery of Qatar aid through the local banking system without exposing Palestinian banks to any risks or penalties, announced the Minister of Social Development Ahmed Majdalani.

Israel has suspended the transfer of Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip, amounting to $30 million per month.

Tel Aviv stipulated that the transfer, especially those directly paid to 10,000 people at $100, should be made through the PA and the UN.

Hamas initially refused the proposal, but Israel insisted, and then the Authority set conditions to avoid any legal problems related to the transfers.

The matter is expected to be settled this week, according to sources.

Majdalani pointed out that security bodies, including the Shin Bet, will check the names nominated to benefit from the grant and ensure they are not connected to Hamas.

The names will then be included in statements of the Ministry of Social Affairs, provided that they receive their money through Palestinian banks and not in bags, as was the case previously.

Meanwhile, Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to incendiary balloons launched from the enclave.

The Israeli military spokesman said its airstrikes were a "response to continual launches of incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel throughout the day."

On Friday, balloons were launched from Gaza, causing at least four fires in areas near Ashkelon.

Israeli spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Authority said that investigations determined that incendiary balloons caused the fires.

Tensions rose after a quiet week, but the delay in the arrival of Qatari funds to the Strip prompted Hamas to resume launching the balloons to pressure the Israeli government to allow the entry of the Qatari grant.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum confirmed in a statement that Gaza youth insist on targeting the settlements, proving they will do not accept the dictations of the occupation.

Barhoum reiterated that the "hollow parades" and "empty targeting" by the occupation would not intimidate Gazans or discourage them from continuing to resist the blockade.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.