Aid trucks enter Gaza via Kerem Shalom Crossi
Aid trucks enter Gaza via Kerem Shalom CrossiFlash 90

The Qatari executive committee for the rehabilitation of Gaza announced Monday that they have begun to transfer raw construction materials to the Hamas-controlled territory via Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing.

According to the "Minister of Civil Affairs" for the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hussein al-Sheikh, an agreement on the transfer had been reached with Israel over the raw materials, in a deal reached as far back as 2012. 

Materials include 4,000 tons of gravel - transported via 100 trucks - and several tons of concrete due to arrive on Tuesday. These raw materials allegedly will be used for the repair and construction of the Saladin and al-Rashid highways in Gaza.

Qatari committee officials also stated that a deal is in the works between the PA and Israel for the transfer of more concrete and even steel - allegedly for the reconstruction of residential apartments in Hamad and a hospital. 

The announcement surfaces days after Hamas threatened another war if Gaza were not "rehabilitated" from Operation Protective Edge this summer - a war against Israel which Hamas itself both started and used civilian areas as a base for conflict. 

Concerns have already been raised, however, that the group will eventually launch another war in any event - as it regularly uses UN and other aid money, as well as materials, to build terror tunnels into Israeli territory with the aim of attacking Israeli citizens in lieu of reconstruction. 

To illustrate this, the IDF revealed during the course of Protective Edge that 4,680 trucks carrying 181 thousand tons of gravel, iron, cement, wood and other supplies have passed through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza since January 2014 - much of it directly from Israel to fund civilian projects. 

Instead, however, a network of over 30 tunnels was found during the ground offensive, with each tunnel costing roughly $3 million to build. In every Hamas terror tunnel, the IDF stated, there were enough building materials to build 86 homes; seven mosques; six schools; or nineteen medical clinics. 

Evidence surfaced weeks ago that Hamas has already begun to rebuild these tunnels despite the IDF's pummeling the region during Operation Protective Edge - a reconstruction many fear will only accelerate after the UN and international donorspledged $5.4 billion earlier this week for Gaza.