Palestinian resistance movement Hamas announced on 22 November that Qatar will begin sending Egyptian fuel to the besieged Gaza Strip, amounting to ten million dollars per month.

“According to the agreement, Qatar will pay the equivalent of its monthly aid to Gaza civil servants, which is between $7 and $10 million, in fuel,” Salama Marouf, the director of Gaza’s government media office, announced.

The Hamas official also pointed out that the fuel will enter Gaza through the Egyptian border crossing before being sold at gas stations. “The revenue will then go to the treasury of the Ministry of Finance in Gaza, which will pay it later to the employees,” Marouf added.

This arrangement will reportedly help pay for the wages of about 40,000 government employees, including doctors and teachers, in the occupied Gaza Strip.

However, reports indicate that Qatar and Hamas have yet to finalize an agreement on the scheme, as Doha has yet to define a system to ensure the proceeds reach civil servants.

The spokespeople for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Benny Gantz declined requests for comment.

Gaza is home to two million Palestinians and is often described as the world’s largest open-air prison. The occupied territory has also been placed under an ongoing land, air, and sea blockade since 2007 which severely restricts the freedom of movement of both people and goods.

On top of this, since May of this year Israel has hindered the arrival of Qatari aid to Gaza. The restrictions came following an eleven day battle that saw Israel launch several tons of explosives into the besieged enclave, killing over 250 Palestinians and injuring thousands of others.

The attack also caused massive destruction to Gaza’s infrastructure and homes, many of which were bombed with residents still inside.