GAZA CITY: The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will visit Gaza tomorrow in the first such visit by an Arab leader since Hamas took over in 2007, sources close to the ruling Islamist movement said.
“The Emir of Qatar will arrive in Gaza on Tuesday,” a source close to the Hamas government said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Tomorrow (Monday), a Qatari delegation will come to Gaza to prepare the programme and discuss details of the visit.”
Earlier, the Shihab news agency which is close to Hamas quoted an unnamed official from the movement as saying: “The Emir of Qatar will come to Gaza on Tuesday to open several projects in the strip.”
It will be the first visit to the Palestinian enclave by an Arab head of state since it was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. The Emir will be one of the territory’s most high-profile international visitors since Hamas ousted the rival secular Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas from Gaza in June, 2007. AFP
