Jerusalem- A delegation of 35 Indonesian Parliamentarians entered the Gaza Strip through from the Egyptian controlled  Sinai peninsula this week, bringing with them 2 million dollars in donations for the Hamas administration.

 

According to Hamas, the money is to be used to build a hospital in memory of the late Hamas leader Nizar Rayan. Rayan served as the liaison between Hamas' military wing and political leadership and was an advocate of the use of suicide bombings against Israel civilians. Rayan's own son died as a suicide bomber. Rayan was also considered one of Hamas' top ideologues, second only to Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

 

As Israel is currently enforcing an embargo on such dual-use construction materials as concrete, it is unlikely that the Indonesian money will go towards civilian construction in the near term and a likelyhood exists that it will be appropriated for military or other purposes.

 

According to Hamas, the delegation headed by Parliamentary President Marzuki Ali was accompanied by "Dr. Ahmad Bahar, Deputy Chief of the Legislative Council in addition to Fathi Hamad, Minister of Interior, Health Minister Bassem Naim, and lawmakers in northern Gaza, leaders of Hamas and important personalities."