BICOM

Israel and Qatar have reached an agreement to deliver funds to pay Gaza’s civil servants.

Israel agreed to allow the funds to enter after Doha promised that the money would only be used to pay public sector salaries, Israeli media reported. Israel has also facilitated the delivery of fuel, paid for by Qatar, to boost the electricity supply for the people of Gaza.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced yesterday that Gaza’s fishing zone will increase to six miles in the northern part of the strip and to nine miles in the southern part of the strip. Israel has also given its consent for building infrastructure in Gaza under international supervision and funding.

Israel’s new measures followed reports of significant progress in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt and the UN over the past few days. Egyptian intelligence official Ahmed Abd al-Khaliq and UN envoy to the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, held a long meeting with Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar yesterday.

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has opposed Qatar’s support for Hamas and imposed a series of punitive measures on Gaza by refusing to pay fuel duties, reducing medical supplies and cutting salaries paid to former employees of the PA, in an attempt to pressure Hamas to agree a reconciliation deal with Fatah.

Earlier this week a senior Israeli briefed media that Israel would consider transferring Qatari funds if it was confident the money would not be spent for military purposes. The Hamas-run Finance Ministry has prepared the list of officials who will receive payments, as requested by the Qataris. It is not clear whether police and security forces will receive their salaries from the Qatari funds.