Nearly 30,000 civil servants in the Gaza Strip began collecting their salaries for a second month on Friday (December 7, 2018), after Qatar pumped more money into the Palestinian territory.
The fresh cash infusion from the Gulf emirate comes as tensions along the border between Gaza and Israel have cooled in recent weeks after a controversial truce deal in November halted a major flareup between the Jewish state and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
Thousands queued in the winter cold to get their cash at post offices — one of which was decorated with a large mural of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the message "Thanks Qatar."
“If the Qatari donation stops, we will be destroyed,” said 45-year-old civil servant Ammar Fayyad, the main bread-winner in his 13-strong family.
The enclave's Finance Ministry announced in a statement to local media that the money would be distributed over the next two days, with employees receiving 50 percent of their salaries.
Doaa, a 36-year-old employee at the Women's Ministry in Gaza, said she came early in the morning to receive her salary.
"This payment helps us to live our life and meet the needs of our children, even if only a little."
In Qatar's operation, a total of $90 million is to be distributed in six monthly instalments of $15 million, according to authorities, primarily to cover salaries of officials working for Hamas.
A first tranche of $15 million was distributed in early November, and the second one was brought into Gaza late Thursday by Qatari ambassador Mohammed al-Emadi, Hamas sources said.
The new funds from Qatar arrived despite the ceasefire with Hamas unleashing a political crisis in Israel that saw Avigdor Lieberman resign as defence minister after accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of going soft on Hamas.
The Qatari envoy to Gaza also met Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.
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(Sources: Reuters, Daily Sabah)
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