Qatar has always been at the forefront in proving urgent humanitarian assistance to the needy, in particular Gaza Strip, and other countries in the region.
With this in mind, the Qatari National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, under the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, plans to embark on the second phase of the emergency humanitarian relief programme for the residents of the Gaza Strip after it completed the $15m first phase which began mid-February last year.
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. The directives of H H the Amir to provide assistance came in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the UN appeals in this regard to address the difficult conditions facing the residents due to the severe shortage of medicines and fuel for operating hospitals as well as shortage of other basic materials as a result of the blockade.
H H the Amir, addressing the opening session of the Emergency Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Palestine, in Istanbul last month, had said that without a just solution to the cause of Palestine and redressing its people, this 70 year old bloodshed cannot be stopped. H H the Amir said the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories needs sincere positions and political will to take meaningful steps to eliminate the occupation.
H H the Amir further said that as a result of the blockade, the Gaza Strip has been transformed into a large concentration camp for millions of people who are deprived of their most basic rights to travel, education, work and medical treatment.
Chairman of the Committee, Ambassador Mohammed Al Emadi, said the second phase of the programme includes ‘decent housing’ project that aims to renovate the homes of poor families at a cost of $3m, provision of medicines and medical supplies and a grant for poor students to pay tuition fees. Over the past three years, he added, the committee spent nearly $3m for the decent housing project which renovated and constructed more than 400 apartments and houses in a phased manner.
Qatar provided another grant of QR50m in early May that was allocated to health, education and housing sectors. 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. It is necessary to respond to the demands of Gaza people, which is to stop the aggression, lift the siege, and ensure the right to live in dignity. The Palestinians will find all forms of support from Qatar and the emergency humanitarian relief programme stem from a moral duty to support the Palestinian cause.
