From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Hamas calls Netanyahu’s decision to freeze Qatari funds ‘a crime’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA Hamas official calls Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to block the entry of Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip later this week “a crime.”
“These funds are to support institutions and people in the Gaza Strip,” the official, who asks not to be named, tells The Times of Israel. “Netanyahu’s decision to prevent their entry is a crime that will push Gaza toward an explosion.”
Following cross-border violence in and around Gaza on Tuesday, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office announced Netanyahu decided to bar the transfer of Qatari funds to the coastal enclave on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Qatari envoy Mohammad al-Emadi told Reuters that $15 million in funds for Hamas-appointed civil servants and poor Gazans would arrive in the coastal enclave on Wednesday.
— Adam Rasgon
The Times of Israel Community.