Qatar resumes aid to Gaza, minus the suitcases of cash

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Qatar has resumed its distribution of aid to Gaza for the first time since the May war between Israel and the territory’s militant Hamas rulers, this time through a new mechanism that does not involve suitcases full of cash. The Hamas-run government’s official news agency said on Wednesday the money would be disbursed through supermarkets, money exchange shops and other retail stores in the coming days. The U.N. has said the funding amounts to $40 million. The aid is part of an informal truce brokered by Egypt and the U.N. in recent years in which Hamas has traded calm for the easing of a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.