Emir of Qatar Sheik Hamad visits Gaza

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (C) and Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya (L) receive flowers from Palestinian girls during a welcome ceremony at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on October 23, 2012 in the Gaza Strip. Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani crossed into the Gaza Strip in the first visit by a head of state since the Islamist Hamas movement took over in 2007.UPI/Mohammed Abed/Pool