Qatari envoy says both Israel and Gaza militants want calm
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GAZA CITY -- A Qatari envoy said Monday that both Israel and Gaza militants want to contain cross-border violence that has flared in recent days, as he detailed a new emergency fund to aid the blockaded territory..
"We confirm through our relationship with the two sides that they are not interested in escalation or engaging in a confrontation that could ignite the entire region," the Qatari envoy, Mohammed al-Emadi, told reporters in Gaza City.
Al-Emadi, whose country maintains contacts with the Islamic militant group Hamas and has hosted its leaders, coordinates Qatar's relief and reconstruction projects in Gaza. On Monday, he announced details of a $9 million emergency fund for addressing fuel and medicine shortages.
The Qatari grant includes $2 million in medical supplies and $500,000 for fuel to power backup generators in Gaza's public health centers, enough to keep them running for a month.
Trucks loaded with the supplies and decorated with Qatari flags and posters of the oil-rich sheikhdom's rulers could be seen outside Gaza City's main Shifa hospital on Monday, where al-Emadi and UN officials spoke.
Hospital cleaning workers demonstrated their support during the ceremony, holding signs reading "Thank you, Qatar." They have been on a strike for 10 days, demanding payment from the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Hamas and Abbas' Palestinian Authority are locked in a dispute over who is responsible for paying them.
