Hamas official: ‘Fuel financed by Qatar will be sold by Hamas to pay salaries’

Source claims arrangement has Israel’s blessing.

By Baruch Yedid, TPS

A very senior figure in the Hamas leadership told TPS on Tuesday that “Hamas accepts the Egyptian-Qatari proposal to import Qatari-funded fuel from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.”

The source said that Hamas will sell the fuel to local companies in Gaza, and the sum of about $10 million collected in the sales will be transferred as salaries to 28,000 Hamas officials, employees of its various civilian mechanisms in the Strip.

Hamas has full control of Gaza.

In this way, he said, the issue of the Qatari grant is expected to be resolved. Israel has opposed the direct transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas in Gaza.

The source, formerly one of the leaders of Hamas’ military wing and now a member of the leadership institutions abroad, said that it was Hamas that offered this option to the Egyptians and the Qataris several months ago, and that Israel prevented the settlement. Now, he said, Israel will also allow the transfer of fuel from Egypt with Qatari funding to Hamas, which it will sell and use the money from the sales to pay the wages of its people in the Gaza Strip.

Qatari Ambassador Muhammad Amadi is expected to arrive in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday to meet with Hamas leaders and discuss with them how to transfer fuel.

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