One visitor, "wearing head-to-toe black garb and a veil" told a Reuters correspondent that "The atmosphere is Islamic.
"[1] According to the Reuters, the resort was built by a "Hamas-linked charity,"[1] The ceremonies were attended by Fathi Hamad, the Interior Minister of the Hamas-led government and other "prominent" Hamas elected members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
[2] According to The Independent, "There is a widespread assumption in Gaza that Hamas... or at least businessmen close to the Islamic faction, are behind the venture.
Merchandise is sold more cheaply than in Egypt, although most of it is from the Egyptian market, and there are added shipping costs and costs for smuggling it via the tunnels – so that it could be expected to be more expensive... the siege was broken even before Israel's crime against the ships of the Freedom Flotilla in late May; everything already was coming into the Gaza Strip from Egypt.
"[3] According to Reuters, the resort is part of a "construction boom" in "recreational facilities" that has prompted some to criticize Hamas for putting money into entertainment venues like El-Bustan and the Crazy Water Park rather than into housing and infrastructure.