Israel to allow Qatar to bring in aid to Gaza

Israel will allow Qatar to airlift humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in the coming days, after Prime Minster Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni agreed yesterday to a formal request from the Qatari government. Several aircraft from the Persian Gulf nation will land in Israel, and from there food and medicine will be transferred by truck to Gaza.

Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, who serves as Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, contacted Livni on Saturday and asked for permission to carry out the airlift. Livni said she would discuss the matter with Olmert and Barak.

The request arrived after Qatar sent three planes to the Egyptian city of El-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula, and Egypt refused to allow the aid to pass through Rafah crossing into Gaza.

"Israel will act with an iron fist against Hamas, but with silk gloves against its civilian population," Olmert said yesterday. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Israel would assist in any humanitarian effort as long as it was coordinated with Israeli authorities ahead of time.

Several weeks ago Jerusalem rejected a Qatari request to dock a ship carrying aid at Ashdod's port and from there to transfer supplies to Gaza.

As of yesterday Israel had made 90 telephone calls to households in the Strip warning them against aiding Hamas or storing weapons or ammunition in their homes.