Hamas Chief Warns U.N. Envoy: Israel Will Face Renewed Violence if Qatari Millions Not Transferred

Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar warned United Nations envoy Tor Wennesland on Monday the terror group would resume violence if Israel failed to allow $30 million in Qatari donations to be transferred to Gaza, Israel’s public broadcaster reported.

The report by Kan came hours after Sinwar told reporters that talks with U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Wennesland about upholding the ceasefire with Israel had broken down.

“This was a bad meeting and it was totally not positive,” Sinwar said.

“The meeting with the U.N. delegation was thorough and they listened to us. But unfortunately, there are no indications of intentions to solve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” he continued.

He added he would convene a meeting of all Palestinian factions later in the day.

Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire agreement to end an 11-day conflict that saw more than 4,000 rockets fired into Israel. In recent days, Hamas violated the ceasefire by launching incendiary balloons into Israeli territory and setting ablaze acres of land. Israel retaliated by carrying out airstrikes against Hamas targets.

Israel has implemented restrictions on the Gaza Strip since the latest round of violence, and has said it would not ease them until Hamas returns two Israeli civilians it is holding captive as well as the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in 2014.

Sinwar said Israel is “trying to extort us, the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance, when it comes to lifting [the restrictions] on our people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday warned Hamas that Israel’s “patience has run out.”

“Our enemies will get to know the rules: We will not tolerate violence and a slow drip [of rockets],” Bennett said. “Our patience has run out.”

“The residents of the Gaza periphery are not second-class citizens,” he said.

He also added Israel sought no harm against Palestinians living under Hamas’ rule in Gaza.

“There is no intention to harm those who do not rise up to kill us, and we do not hate those who are held hostage by a cruel and violent terrorist organization,” Bennett said.