In a move that could jeopardize the fragile Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Palestinian Authority banking and humanitarian systems are refusing to be the conduit through which Qatar can disburse its aid money to the Gaza Strip, Ynet reported Thursday.
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Palestinian sources told the news site that officials were concerned that if any Qatari humanitarian funds reached Gaza's Islamist groups, they could be exposed to lawsuits on the grounds of supporting and funding terrorism.
According to "the Memorandum of Understanding between the State of Palestine through the Social Development Ministry and the Qatari Foreign Ministry through the Gaza Rehabilitation Committee," the PA has agreed to transfer Qatari funds through banks subject to the supervision of the Palestinian Monetary Fund according to a list of names compiled by the Qatari side, Ynet said.
The transfers will provide much-needed assistance for approximately 100,000 beneficiaries from poor families, as well as some 28,000 additional ones, most of whom are Hamas officials.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that following Operation Guardian of the Walls against Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, Israel wanted to ensure that humanitarian aid was indeed used for that purpose and not to rearm the terrorist groups' military wings.
Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar has consistently threatened a resumption of violence if the transfer of Qatari aid money to Gaza is blocked.
This article was first published by i24NEWS
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