Israel 'blocks Qatari aid to Gaza after flare up'

Israel has ordered a halt to incoming transfer of Qatari financial aid to the besieged Gaza Strip following a flare up of violence with Hamas, which runs the coastal enclave.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

22 January, 2019

Gaza will become uninhabitable by 2020 according to the UN [AP]

In a fresh measure of collective punishment against Gaza, Israel has ordered a halt to incoming transfer of Qatari financial aid to the besieged Strip following a flare up of violence with Hamas, which runs the coastal enclave.

The Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered the transfer of $15 million in Qatari aid on Tuesday night, Israeli media reported citing diplomatic sources.

At least one Palestinian was killed and two injured following shelling by an Israeli tank on Tuesday into Gaza.

Israel's military claimed that an officer was injured "during a riot in the southern Gaza Strip", leading to the shelling, with AFP saying the Israeli soldier was slightly injured after a bullet hit her helmet.

Israel claimed that the shells hit a Hamas position, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza.

Gaza's health ministry confirmed that a 24-year-old man was killed in the barrage and named as Mohammed al-Nabaheen.

The incident took place as Qatar prepared to transfer a third batch of funds for Hamas to pay salaries for civil servants.

Palestinians have held weekly protests on the Gaza border, over the ongoing Israeli blockade and a right to return.

More than 250 Palestinians were killed and 23,000 injured after Israeli troops opened fire on the protesters during demonstrations last year.

Israel has allowed Qatar to deliver $15 million in aid each month since November to pay the salaries of Gaza's civil servants in return for brokering de-escalation with Hamas.

Qatar has also bought fuel for Gaza’s solo power plant, helping to reduce power outages. Electricity is still only available for a few hours every day, and the tap water in Gaza is undrinkable. The Israeli-led blockade has devastated the local economy in Gaza, where unemployment exceeds 50 percent.

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