MFA Director General Dore Gold. (Mark Neiman/GPO)
Hamas is rebuilding its terror infrastructure in Gaza at the expense of the Palestinian population by using construction materials imported from Israel.
The Hamas terror group confiscates 95 percent of the cement Israel transfers to Gaza for the rebuilding of the territory, using the cement for “military purposes,” Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold said in an address at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
“From our own investigations we found that out of every 100 sacks of cement that come into the Gaza Strip [from Israel], only five or six are transferred to civilians,” Gold said. “A hundred sacks is what is necessary to rebuild a home, the rest are confiscated by Hamas and used for military purposes.”
“Since October, Israel has let into Gaza 4,824,000 tons of building materials…but these have often times been seized and used to build new attack tunnels penetrating Israeli territory,” he added, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Nevertheless, Israel “will continue to adhere to humanitarian standards despite the security risks and unfair political pressures it has to face,” said Gold.
Just this past Sunday, Israel again allowed the entry of cement into Gaza, following an almost two-month ban imposed on the Strip because the materials were being transferred to Hamas and used for terror purposes.
Israel’s suspension of cement imports in the Gaza Strip was applied to the private sector, which was relaying the materials to Hamas, while international organizations were allowed access to cement shipments for reconstruction efforts.
“This offense is a direct violation of the accords for the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism…This is a clear example of how Hamas continues to abuse and harm Gaza’s civil population to advance their own personal agenda,” COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) stated when the ban was instituted.
The United Nations also condemned the “deviation of materials.”
The materials will reportedly be subjected to closer monitoring.
By: JNS.org and United with Israel Staff
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Source: United with Israel
