Qatar has always been at the forefront in providing urgent humanitarian assistance to the needy, in particular Gaza Strip, and other countries in the region. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday directed to allocate a financial grant of $360m to Gaza Strip to be disbursed over the year, starting from January 2021.
This grant comes within the framework of the State of Qatar’s commitment to continue supporting the brotherly Palestinian people besieged in the Gaza Strip. The grant will be used to pay employees’ salaries, provide financial aid to needy families, and operate power stations to reduce the worsening of the humanitarian situation and the difficult living conditions in the Strip.
Palestinians are facing huge difficulties due to the continued siege and the aggression of the Israeli occupation, as well as punitive measures imposed on the Gaza Strip. It must be noted that Qatar, under the wise leadership, has not forgotten its role and humanitarian duty towards friends, stressing its solidarity and standing with them during prosperity and distress.
In March 2020, H H the Amir directed to provide $150m financial support to Palestinian brethren in the Gaza Strip over a period of six months to alleviate the suffering of the people, and to support United Nations relief and humanitarian programmes. It also included financial assistance to support the people in combating the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
In December last year, Qatar’s Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza in cooperation with Qatar Fund for Development, began disbursing cash aid to poor families in Gaza. The aid was provided to 100,000 families in the Gaza Strip, with each family receiving $100.
It must be recalled that in May 2019, H H the Amir directed allocation of $480m for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Qatar allocated $300m in grants and loans to support the health and education budget of the Palestinian Authority, and $180m to provide urgent humanitarian relief support for the UN programs in Palestine.
Qatar is implementing various humanitarian projects in Gaza Strip. These include, among others, the establishment of Noura Rashid Al Kaabi Dialysis Center, Hamad bin Jassim Center for Integrated Rehabilitation Care in the northern Gaza Strip, and Al Amal residential city mosque. Qatar has also contributed a lot to the redevelopment of Gaza. Hamad City, which houses thousands of people, is a very fine example of this benevolence.
These humanitarian initiatives reflect the positive role that Qatar plays at the regional and international level, especially in times of crisis and ordeals.
