The Islamist movement Hamas guaranteed on Wednesday (26) “will not deviate even a penny” from international aid for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, promising a “transparent and impartial” process, after a conflict with Israel that devastated the enclave.
On May 21, a truce came into force between Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, and Israel, after 11 days of conflict that claimed the lives of more than 250 people – mostly Palestinian civilians.
Diplomatic efforts to consolidate this fragile ceasefire and to help rebuild the Gaza Strip are intensifying, where many buildings have been sprayed and infrastructure damaged by Israeli attacks.
“We welcome any international or Arab effort to rebuild the Gaza Strip,” Yahya Sinouar, head of Gaza’s political office, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“I affirm our commitment to not taking even a penny for reconstruction and humanitarian operations, we have never taken a penny in the past,” said the leader.
On Tuesday in Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a trip to the Middle East, said he wanted to prevent Hamas, an organization considered terrorist by the United States and the European Union, from “benefiting” from aid to reconstruction of Gaza.
Israel, which has subjected the Gaza Strip to a rigid land and sea blockade for almost 15 years, accuses the armed group of having diverted international aid for military purposes and wants an international “mechanism” to prevent money from passing through Hamas.
From 10 to 21 May, 254 Palestinians died from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, including 66 children, according to local authorities.
In Israel, the rocket launch from Gaza killed 12 people, including a child, a teenager and a soldier.
