Emir of Qatar makes historic visit to Gaza

Gaza City: The emir of Qatar has entered the Gaza Strip, becoming the first head of state to visit the Palestinian territory since Islamist Hamas militants seized control there five years ago. An honour guard awaited Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at Gaza’s southern border crossing, where he entered from Egypt on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_500061” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A poster of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, left, and Gaza’s Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. AP[/caption] The emir will deliver more than $250 million in aid to the territory, a move that will bolster Hamas and ease its international isolation. AP