The Qatari Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani is due to arrive in the Gaza Strip in the next few days for a three-day visit, a Palestinian official source told Palestine newspaper.
Al Thani will be accompanied by his wife Sheikha Mozah and a delegation of high-level Qatari officials, the newspaper reported on Saturday.
The official source added that the Emir of Qatar would visit Gaza to initiate reconstruction projects agreed upon last month in meetings held in Gaza between Qatari officials and Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya.
The official pointed out that the visit would be the first of its kind by such an Arab leader and would constitute a lever to officially announce an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
For his part, political advisor to the Palestinian premier Yousuf Rizqa denied there were Qatari prerequisites for its reconstruction projects in Gaza like what was rumored about its request to initiate the projects in the presence of Mahmoud Abbas.
Officials from the Palestinian Authority including Nimer Hammad and Saeb Erekat also said Qatar did not invite Abbas to attend the inauguration of Gaza reconstruction projects.
