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The leader of the organization in the enclave said that talks between Hamas and the United Nations on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip had failed.
“This is a terrible meeting and it is completely negative,” Yahya Sinwar said on Monday.
“The meeting with the UN delegation was very thorough, and they listened to our views. Unfortunately, there is no sign of any intention to resolve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.”
Sinwar made the above remarks at a press conference after the meeting between Gaza City and the high-level UN delegation (including Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process).
Sinwar also accused Israel of “blackmailing Palestinian factions including Hamas” in resolving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The latest development occurred less than a month after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire to end Israel’s 11-day attack on the Gaza Strip on May 21.
The Israeli offensive killed at least 257 Palestinians, including 66 children. 13 people were killed in Israel, including two children.
The Israeli attack also destroyed 1,148 housing and commercial units in Gaza, partially damaged another 15,000 units, and caused the displacement of more than 100,000 civilians in UN-run schools and other host communities.
The threat of escalation
Israeli media reported that Sinwar threatened that if it did not allow Qatar to transfer $30 million in funds to the Gaza Strip to help pay wages, then tensions with Israel would escalate.
In recent years, Qatar has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to enable Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, to pay for fuel for power plants in the Gaza Strip, salaries for civil servants, and provide assistance to tens of thousands of poor families.
Earlier this month, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stated at a financial conference in St. Petersburg that this oil-rich Gulf country has been The investment in Gaza is about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars.
lose job
At the same time, the Pepsi bottling company in Gaza was forced to cease operations this week, causing hundreds of people to lose their jobs due to Israel’s tightening of import restrictions during the 11-day Israeli attack on Gaza, the company’s owner said.
As the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is basically maintained, Israel on Monday allowed limited resumption of exports from the enclave.
But Hamam al-Yazeji of Pepsi Gaza said that it has been taking tightening measures on raw material imports, including carbon dioxide gas and syrup required for soft drinks produced by bottling companies’ factories.
“Yesterday, we ran out of raw materials. Unfortunately, we had to close the factory and send 250 workers home,” Yazegi said.
He said that before last month’s battle, Pepsi Gaza was generally allowed to import required materials.
Analysts say that if Israel continues to implement restrictions, other factories in Gaza may also be closed.
According to United Nations data, manufacturing accounts for about 10% of Gaza’s service-leading economy.
When asked for comment, COGAT, a branch of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, stated: “Due to the security situation, it is impossible to import industrial raw materials from the State of Israel into the Gaza Strip.”
COGAT stated that Israel allows other imported products to enter Gaza, including fuel, food, medicine and medical equipment.
Israel and neighboring Egypt maintain strict control over Gaza’s borders and stated that restrictions are necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and prevent them from being produced locally.
After Israel’s air strikes on Gaza challenged a fragile ceasefire, Egypt and the United Nations stepped up their mediation last week.
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