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.
