Al-Emadi: Hamas and Egyptian intelligence benefit financially from Gaza

Al-Emadi: Hamas and Egyptian intelligence benefit financially from Gaza

Qatari ambassador in charge of the Gaza Strip reconstruction, Mohammed Al Emadi, said yesterday that Hamas and the Egyptian intelligence service are benefiting financially from the goods imported through the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip.

Al-Emadi said in an interview with Al-Jazeera, that Gaza imports products amounting to $ 45 million per month from Egypt alone. He pointed out that the Egyptian intelligence gets 15 million dollars in commission, and Hamas gets another 12 million of taxes imposed on them, and the rest is the actual value of those goods.

"The Palestinian people in Gaza are the real victims of the Israeli-Egyptian siege and the internal Palestinian political fragmentation," he said.

He noted that he is pessimistic because many parties and parties locally and in the region benefit financially and politically from keeping Gaza in a state of oblivion.

He felt that the situation in Gaza is like a man walking on a tight rope, trying to maintain his balance and not to fall while everyone makes fun of him and trying to lose his balance and fall. Adding that "Gaza is a place where the Israelis and Egyptians and the Palestinian Authority and Hamas and other Palestinian factions undermine each other in order to get the rule."

"The situation is so complicated that in the near future, I don´t think there will be reconciliation between Hamas or Fatah or peace between Israel and the Palestinians."

"While the Egyptians publicly say that they are trying to facilitate Palestinian reconciliation, they benefit financially from divisions and siege."

He stressed that Qatar has excellent relations with the Israelis and Palestinians, noting that their presence (ie the Qataris) facilitated calm on the border with Gaza, despite the outbreak of "waves of violence" at times.

He pointed out that the Qatar Committee was working to rebuild Gaza within a grant of $ 407 million allocated from the father of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa. He pointed out that that phase is over and now is spent $ 30 million per month in Gaza, including 10 for the fuel of the Gaza Power Plant, and $ 100 for more than 100 thousand families, and the rest to finance small economic projects.

Regarding the suffering of the people of Gaza with electricity, he explained that the amount of electricity available up to about 200 megawatts is provided through the Israeli lines and the power station, noting that negotiations are underway with the Israeli Electricity Company to extend the Gaza Strip electricity line 161 kW.

This would increase the amount of electricity available, and increase the energy supply to the population, but to the extent that the limited infrastructure of Gaza´s electricity grid can afford it.