DOHA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Qatar on Tuesday allocated the sum of 480 million U.S. dollars for the Palestinian people in a bid to alleviate their suffering and lack of proper services, according to the Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Qatar offered 300 million U.S. dollars in grants and loans to support the health and education budget of the Palestinian National Authority, QNA quoted the Qatari foreign ministry as saying.
The State of Qatar also earmarked the sum of 180 million U.S. dollars to provide urgent humanitarian relief support for the UN programs in Palestine and support the electricity services, it added.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a release quoted by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, said the Qatari grant would help ease the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas politburo, in a press release a copy of which was obtained by Xinhua, expressed gratitude for the Qatari emir's decision to allocate that sum for the support of the "Palestinian people's steadfastness."
