Chairman of Qatar National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza Ambassador Mohammed al-Emadi on Saturday spoke out against underway attempts by the “siege countries” to urge Qatar to suspend its funds and support for Gaza.
“Doha has a humanitarian mission that it will never ever give up. Gazans are oppressed and need help” said al-Emadi.
Speaking with journalists at his residence in Gaza City al-Emadi stressed his country’s unyielding and continuing support for the blockaded Gaza Strip where the humanitarian situation has taken a serious turn for the worse.
He said that his visit to the besieged enclave stems from the moral responsibility felt by the State of Qatar toward the alarming humanitarian situation in Gaza and the acute dearth in life-saving medicines.
He described the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” saying that the Qatari grant has come on time and that the batch of medicines has helped to save the lives of dozens of patients particularly those diagnosed with life-threatening kidney diseases.
“The situation in Gaza is on the verge of total collapse . . . . Gazans are paying the price” said al-Emadi holding the Israeli occupation directly responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
He further slammed the Palestinian Authority for failing to take up its mission in the enclave and Egypt for tightening grip on the Rafah border crossing Gazans’ sole passageway.
Commenting on the relationship between Qatar and the Palestinian consensus government al-Emadi said current signs bode well after Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah’s government pledged to send trucks of medicines in the next couple of days.
The Qatari ambassador said national reconciliation is Palestinians’ sole key to saving the people of Gaza.
He added that Gazans have been sounding distress signals and appealing for an urgent solution to their abject condition beyond partisan and political considerations.
In al-Emadi’s view the sanctions and punitive measures imposed on the Gaza Strip do not serve national reconciliation pointing out that he had previously met with President Mahmoud Abbas and told him: “You are the president of the entire Palestinian people … You should stand by your people and leave politicians aside. Do not give anything to Hamas or any other party. Just stand by your people. “
The Qatari envoy said neither Hamas nor Israel seek to kick-start a war in Gaza. “However things might go beyond control.”
He strongly denounced the false pieces of news as regards his country’s involvement in normalization with the Israeli occupation and its crimes saying: “President Abbas himself has to obtain a permit from the Israeli occupation authorities to visit Gaza.”
He said Qatar had delivered aid items to Gaza via Egypt. However following the coup aid materials were not allowed to enter the enclave. “That’s why we coordinated with the Israeli authorities to have our items handed over to Gazans. That’s a condition set by the Israelis. We have no other way out.”
Al-Emadi also briefed journalists on his country’s ongoing efforts to assuage the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and boost reconstruction projects.
He said the Qatari Committee will launch on Saturday the last phase of its al-Rasheed Street project and will finalize the last phase of Salah al-Deen Street project in the next two months. He pledged that his country will finalize all of its aid projects in Gaza by the end of this year.
As for the power crisis the Qatari ambassador said Israel should lift its grip so as to allow Qatar to work out the crisis.
He further stated that Qatar has prepared an adequate infrastructure in Salah al-Deen Street for a projected gas pipleine from Israel to supply Gaza’s power station. However “Israel’s environmental measures are quite obstructive and thus the line is not expected to go operative before 2021.”
