GAZA CITY: A top Hamas leader emerged yesterday from six weeks in hiding, leading a delegation to Egypt for cease-fire talks and saying the group is “flexible” over who should lead reconstruction in the devastated territory.
Mahmoud Al-Zahar, who is one of Gaza’s top two leaders, and three other Hamas officials crossed from Gaza into Egypt yesterday, en route to Cairo.
Egypt is mediating indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a durable truce. Hamas wants Israel and Egypt to lift their 20-month border blockade of Gaza.
On the Egyptian side, Al-Zahar told reporters Hamas would be flexible about who will take charge of reconstruction.
Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed or damaged during Israel’s 22-day war on Palestinians, causing an estimated $2 billion in damages.
Hamas initially insisted it should supervise the spending. However, international donors are reluctant to hand huge sums to Hamas. “We are flexible on who should be in charge of rebuilding,” said Al-Zahar who, apparently fearing assassination, had been in hiding during the three-week offensive and even after a tentative cease-fire took hold in mid-January.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh still has not appeared in public.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry accused Hamas of turning some of its medical facilities in the Gaza Strip into detention centers.
After Israel stopped the aerial and ground attacks, “Hamas unfortunately used several facilities, mainly a large number of hospitals, as stations for summons, interrogation, torture and detention,” the Ramallah-based ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also claimed Hamas sacked tens of employees, loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, who ended a strike and returned to work after Israel launched it assault on Dec. 27.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said he will transfer $50 million in emergency aid to Gaza.
