Posted on 08/19/21
| News Source: i24
Four-month delay in distributing cash to impoverished Palestinian families threatened ceasefire
Qatar on Thursday announced an agreement with the United Nations to transfer stalled aid money to poor families in the Gaza Strip, a move that could reduce tensions between Israel and Hamas that threatened the ceasefire.
After a fourth-month delay, about 100,000 Palestinian families in Gaza will receive $100 in cash each month with money distributed by the UN through Gaza banks with Israel retaining the right to supervise the list of eligible recipients.
Qatari envoy to Gaza Mohammad al-Emadi said in a statement that the money will be distributed at the beginning of September.
Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz in a statement thanked Qatar for "taking a positive role as a stabilizing actor in the Middle East," saying that he has been in contact with Qatari officials "to establish a mechanism that ensures the money reaches those in need, while maintaining Israel's security needs."
Gantz also said that Israel is talking with the Palestinian Authority (PA) about setting up an alternative mechanism for transferring the funds under the supervision of the PA.
Gantz also expressed a "very big thank you" to Egypt which he said is "a cornerstone for keeping the quiet, stability and security in the region."
Egypt brokered the ceasefire that ended 11 days of conflict between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in May and has played an active role in shoring up the ceasefire and in rebuilding the Palestinian coastal enclave.