Qatar reportedly cuts Gaza fuel funding by half, no reason given

The coordinator of government activities in the territories said the the organization is “looking into the matter with the relevant parties and the government of Qatar." Hamas denied the report.

A fuel tanker leaves the Gaza power plant in the central Gaza Strip August 26, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
A fuel tanker leaves the Gaza power plant in the central Gaza Strip August 26, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
The Qatari envoy to the Gaza Strip, Mohammed al-Emadi, reported that their administration will be cutting the weekly fuel shipments they supply to the Gaza Strip by half, it was reported Sunday.
The decision came soon after Israel announced it would allow the supply of diesel fuel to be brought into the Gaza Strip. The country had ceased delivering fuel to Gaza last week after rockets were fired from the Strip at Israel.
The Qatari government did not provide a specific reason for its decision.
Qatar normally funds three million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip each week, as per a contract signed through the United Nations. The calculated loss of 1.5 million liters of fuel will reportedly only power the coastal enclave for six hours each day, according to Army Radio.
Israel's coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT) said the the organization is “looking into the matter with the relevant parties and the government of Qatar.”
Qatar’s envoy to Gaza Mohammed al-Emadi stressed that the Qatar position on the fuel supply has never changed, according to a Hamas press statement on Monday. Al-Emadi stated that he had not made any statements saying that the fuel supply would change.
The Qatari envoy added that he had informed Israel that he would reduce funding for fuel shipments, but that this was only in protest of the Israeli decision to cut the fuel supply to Gaza in half recently.
Israel restored full fuel shipments to Gaza earlier this week.
Al-Emadi said that he would supply the full quantity of fuel shipments to Gaza, adding that he told Israel not to evade any of the agreed-upon humanitarian understandings without prior coordination, according to the Hamas press statement.
COGAT reported earlier this week that six fuel trucks, funded by Qatar, crossed into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The trucks were allowed entry after discussions between a Hamas delegation and Egyptian intelligence officials, during which Egypt proposed a long-term ceasefire between the terror organization and Israel.

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The Egyptian officials also claimed that if the Gaza border riots would not create any altercations with IDF forces, and as long as rockets would not be fired at Israel, the fuel supply might return to normal. At the time, Qatar had made no announcement about its proposed cuts.