In November Qatar began a six-month, $150 million program to fund the wages and shipments of fuel for power generation in Gaza. The staggered payments, widely seen as a Qatari bid to increase its regional role, need Israel’s permission to get through – an involvement that has riled many among Hamas’ Islamist leadership. Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said on Thursday Israel had broken previous agreements brokered by Qatar and Egypt.
