Hamas Chief Courts Difference With Israel

GAZA CITY—When Ayman Musa’s furnishings manufacturing facility was bombed in a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, he spent $400,000 to rebuild. Final month’s combating destroyed his unusual space, leaving him broke and bored stiff—with Israel and the Palestinian militant team Hamas and its leader, Yahya Sinwar.

“I’m a businessman. No longer Sinwar or Israel is paying money for my family. Easiest my anxious work,” mentioned Mr. Musa, a father of six, whose once-bustling plant has been diminished to blackened and zigzag steel.

Hamas and Mr. Sinwar are now confronting the political and economic fallout of repeated clashes with Israel, which own space abet constructing within the Gaza Strip, residence to bigger than two million Palestinians—half of whom are living below the poverty line, in response to the United Nations.

Extra complicating issues, the U.S. and Israel notify that any help to motivate rebuild Gaza no longer motivate Hamas, which governs the Strip and which both countries opt into consideration a terror team.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar own mentioned they’re lively to fetch greater than $1 billion to the Palestinians, largely by United Nations entities. In data conferences final week, Mr. Sinwar, who heads up Hamas’s political fly in Gaza, mentioned the team wouldn’t opt money earmarked for humanitarian wants and known as for an cease to restrictions imposed by Israel and Egypt that own for greater than a decade weakened Gaza’s economy.