About a month and a half ago, hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza to protest the electricity crisis, which was exacerbated by the extreme heat wave and the shortage of fuel needed to operate Gaza's main power plant.
Demonstrations in Gaza over high cost of living - calls to overthrow the Hamas regime
They called for improved living conditions and lifting the siege. Although the demonstrations were suppressed and arrests were made, even then Hamas understood that there was pent-up anger among the public that might erupt again.
Last week, dozens of young people in Gaza were seen queuing up for visas to Turkey, which would allow them to leave Gaza in search of a new life in Europe. Last night, university graduates in Gaza demonstrated to protest the unemployment situation and demand employment opportunities.
Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Ahmed Al Thani in his UN speech, photo: AP
Above all this hovered the shadow of the Qatari grant, which was brought into Gaza like clockwork at the beginning of every month until suddenly the Qataris started "faking." In recent months, there have been delays in transferring the money and the amount of financial aid promised to pay the salaries of Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip has been reduced.
The reduction in the grant stems, among other things, from the tension between Qatar and Hamas following the organization's decision to renew its relations with Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, which drew the ire of those living in Doha. Hamas is not indifferent to the whispers coming from the field, let alone to "irregularities" in the salaries of 27,<> public officials who have been designated as authorized to receive the grant.
Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi spoke with representatives of the organization during his recent visit to Gaza about the need to prevent escalation, while exchanging messages from Israel on the matter.
"Perfect" timing
By renewing clashes on the border, Hamas seeks to signal to Qatar that breaking promises comes at a price, and that the fruits of the arrangement with Israel, including work permits for some 17,<> Gazan workers, are not silence money or a guarantee of complete calm.
Palestinian youths rioting near the fence, Photo: AP
Izz a-Din al-Qassem operative, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, photo: AP
The organization is not satisfied with the quota of permits, nor with the scope of projects in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants to take advantage of the tension with Qatar to extract more achievements from Israel, but the question is whether he will be able to juggle and reach this result without causing an escalation, one that could actually deprive him of further civil-economic relief.
The sequence of events comes at the height of the Jewish holidays, and Hamas is trying to inflame the atmosphere to encourage young Palestinians to carry out attacks. Even now, the motif of the prisoners and Al-Aqsa is widely used, with Hamas trying to exploit these issues for its own purposes.
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