Israeli Internal Security Minister Omar Barlev said on Tuesday that Israel wants to distribute foreign aid to Gaza through a voucher system, to ensure that donations are not used to support the Islamic resistance movement (Hamas), which governs the territory and strengthens its arsenal. Humanitarian agencies have estimated the reconstruction costs in the impoverished region at approximately $500 million following an 11-day cross-border conflict with Israel in May. After the 2014 war, Qatar contributed over a billion dollars for housing and other projects in Gaza, or in cash. Israel monitored and approved these payments, and Qatar pledged an additional $500 million in May.
Barlev stated that new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett wants to change this policy. "Qatari money for Gaza will not be sent in bags filled with dollars that end up with Hamas, where Hamas takes a large portion for itself and its officials," Barlev said in an interview with Israeli army radio. Barlev proposed that "the mechanism should ensure that what comes in will predominantly consist of food vouchers or humanitarian assistance vouchers, rather than cash amounts that can be used to develop weapons used against the State of Israel."
It was not immediately possible to obtain a comment from Hamas officials, who have previously denied using aid in Gaza to purchase weapons. There was also no comment from Muhammad al-Emadi, the head of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza. A Palestinian official told Reuters, "Nothing has been finalized yet." Barlev noted that the proposed aid mechanism should be managed through the United Nations. He did not rule out the continued flow of grants from Qatar and raised the possibility that the European Union might also provide assistance. He added, "If such a mechanism exists, I have no doubt that Israel will help improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip." The European Union, the United States, and other countries consider Hamas a terrorist organization.
