Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi traveled to the Gaza Strip this week, according to several reports in Palestinian and regional media.
The envoy has played a key role in Gaza over the years. In March, he urged Israeli officials to work to de-escalate tensions and his trip this time also coincides with tensions along the Gaza border.
Palestinian media reported that Emadi arrived in Gaza on Thursday morning while media linked to Hamas had said he arrived last night.
Amad wrote that he arrived with a delegation through the Erez crossing near Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Akhbar wrote that the envoy had arrived yesterday and his goal was to calm tensions. A Fateh-linked website said that the envoy had arrived also to hold meetings and check on the progress of projects supervised by the Qatari-backed Gaza Reconstruction Committee.
Qatari envoy marks first visit to Gaza since Ramadan
In March, he was also in the region to discuss de-escalation of tensions. This took place in the context of Ramadan and the lead-up to Passover.
At the time, he had said Israel should “refrain from escalating the situation, especially during Ramadan, and stop proving the feelings of all Muslims,” according to a statement from the Gaza Reconstruction Committee, which is headed by Emadi. Doha has played a key role in working with the UN, Palestinian Authority, and Egypt to move funds to Gaza for support of civil servants and others over the years.
He was in Gaza in May as well. Middle East Monitor noted at the time that “ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi, the head of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, left the Gaza Strip yesterday through the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing, having completed a visit that lasted for several days, according to a statement issued by the Qatari Foreign Ministry.”
At the time, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, was at the headquarters of the Qatari Committee in Gaza, the report said. He also met with Thomas White, the director of the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).