Qatar signs deal with UN agency to create jobs in Gaza

Qatar's Gaza Reconstruction Committee has signed an agreement with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for the launch of a project aimed at creating jobs in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip.

In a Wednesday statement, the committee -- which is affiliated with Qatar's Foreign Ministry -- said the project, slated to begin next month, would create 10,000 new jobs in the health, education and media fields.

Under the terms of the deal, Qatar will provide the UNRWA with $13 million to get the project started.

Last October, Qatar gave $150 million in humanitarian aid to the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, which continues to groan under a 12-year Israeli blockade that has largely gutted its economy.