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Israel, UN share concern over Hamas diverting Gaza cement for own use
Israel has temporarily suspended the import of cement to the Gaza Strip for private construction, after it discovered that Hamas is diverting the material for its own use, rather than using it to build much needed housing and infrastructure.
In the wake of Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014, Israel agreed a mechanism with the Palestinian Authority (PA), overseen by the United Nations (UN), which would facilitate the import of goods into Gaza while ensuring that materials which could be used for military purposes do not reach Hamas. Haaretz says that this mechanism has so far overseen the building of 80,000 housing units and 300 public projects since 2014. However, during this period, Israel has intercepted illicit materials at the Gaza border on numerous occasions. Hamas is thought to be rearming, developing new rockets and complex tunnels designed to attack Israel.
The Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military organ responsible for movement in and out of Gaza, said yesterday that cement intended for international reconstruction projects had been seized by Imad al-Baz, the Hamas deputy director general of Gaza’s Economy Ministry.
COGAT said, “We regret that Hamas continues to exploit and harm the entire Palestinian population in favour of the personal interests of the organisation.” As a result, Israel is freezing cement imports for private initiatives, but will continue to permit the import of cement for large, international projects.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, issued a sharply worded statement, acknowledging the allegation that “a substantial amount [of cement] had been diverted from its intended legitimate beneficiaries.” The statement all but named Hamas, pointedly saying “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.”
In a separate development, Israel eased maritime restrictions earlier this week, to prevent the import of weapons to Gaza, extending the fishing zone for local fishermen.