Leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" in the Gaza Strip are unable to pay salaries for 50,000 public sector employees. Some officials have stated that the reason for this is partly due to delays in the monthly salary grant sent by Qatar, one of the main countries providing aid to the impoverished Palestinian enclave. The salary crisis has sparked an unusual wave of criticism on social media in Gaza, including comments from some Hamas employees.
The situation has worsened due to declining tax revenues and increased spending. Most of the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza live in poverty, relying on foreign aid for their economy. Since 2014, Qatar has provided hundreds of millions of dollars for construction projects. Currently, it allocates $30 million monthly in grants to families, to provide fuel for power stations, and to help pay public sector salaries.
Hamas officials indicated that they have not received any assistance to pay salaries since receiving just over half of a $5 million grant for the payment of May salaries. The reason for the delay remains unclear. Aouni Al-Basha, the deputy finance minister in Gaza, told Al-Aqsa Radio, the Hamas-affiliated station, “The government is going through a crippling financial crisis that has gradually worsened, leading to an increase in the financial deficit month after month until we reached the delay in salaries this month.”
He added, “We are making great efforts to disburse salaries and hope to do so by the end of this week.” Al-Basha stated that the monthly salaries cost Hamas 125 million shekels ($34.5 million). Salama Maarouf, head of the media office for the Hamas government, noted that there is also an increase in spending, especially for the Ministry of Health and for repaying bank debts. He urged Qatar to increase the salary grant to $7 million.
The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli blockade and Egyptian security measures since 2007 when Hamas took control and has refused peace with Israel. Public sector employees have not received their full salaries since 2013. Mahmoud Al-Fara, an employee in the media office of Hamas, said, “We meet basic needs at home with 60%, so what if the salary is completely cut off?” He added, “As an employee among 50,000 workers in the Gaza government, the finance ministry’s statement yesterday was a huge disappointment for us.”
Some have turned to social media, questioning whether this crisis is real. One resident asked on Facebook, “Where do the taxes they collect and the grants entering Gaza go?”
