Israel halts cement imports into Gaza over Hamas appropriation

Israel has halted the import of cement and other building materials after realizing they were being diverted to the Hamas terrorist organization, the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories says.

An undisclosed amount of cement, which was intended for the rebuilding effort of the beleaguered Gaza Strip, was “taken by Amad al-Baz, deputy director of Hamas’s Economic Ministry,” according to COGAT.

This was in direct contradiction to reconstruction agreements between Israel and the Palestinians and, as a result, Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai “froze the import of the inventory intended for the private sector,” according to the statement, which was first announced on COGAT’s Arabic-language Facebook page on Friday.

The United Nations, in a statement, condemns the “deviation of materials,” but refrains from naming Hamas as responsible for the action.

“Those who seek to gain through the deviation of materials are stealing from their own people and adding to the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza,” says Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.

This freeze is not intended to be long-lasting and will only be in place until the issue can be more thoroughly sussed out, a COGAT spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.

“We are investigating, and will soon decide how to proceed,” she says.

In the meantime, other goods and materials are being brought into the Gaza Strip as usual, the spokesperson says.

— Judah Ari Gross