Hamas unable to pay salaries in Gaza after Qatari abet delay, officers dispute

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA (Reuters) – The Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers have been unable to pay salaries for 50,000 public sector workers, with officers in segment blaming a delay in a monthly payroll grant from Qatar, a well-known abet donor to the impoverished Palestinian enclave.

The wage crisis has sparked an queer quantity of criticism on social media in Gaza, including by about a of Hamas’ maintain workers. A descend in tax income and a jump in spending has made the quandary a lot extra sophisticated.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are residing in poverty, and the economy depends on foreign abet. Qatar has paid many of of hundreds and hundreds of bucks since 2014 for construction projects. It currently pays $30 million per thirty days in stipends for households, gas for electricity, and to aid pay public sector wages.

Hamas officers dispute no wage abet has been obtained since correct over half of of a $5-million grant to bolster the Can also payroll. The cause on the lend a hand of the delay used to be no longer determined.

In Doha, Qatar’s Worldwide Media Remark of work did no longer in an instant respond to a question for statement.

“The federal government is going thru a stifling and escalating monetary crisis, with a continuous expand within the deficit month after month, which ended in the delay of salaries this month,” Awni Al-Basha, the Hamas-appointed deputy minister, knowledgeable Hamas Aqsa radio.

“We are making well-known efforts to pay the salaries, and we hope to bear so on the cease of this week,” he acknowledged.

Monthly payroll prices Hamas 125 million shekels ($34.5 million) per thirty days, acknowledged Basha.

On Sunday, Salama Marouf, chairman of the Hamas government media workplace, acknowledged there has additionally been an expand in spending, in particular for the ministry of properly being and repayment of bank money owed. He called on Qatar to expand the wage grant to $7 million.

Gaza has been beneath an Israel-Egyptian blockade since 2007 when Hamas, which opposes peace with Israel, took control. Public sector workers have no longer obtained corpulent salaries since 2013.

“With 60% (of salaries) we worn to meet the basics of our wants at house. What occurs when the wage is fully gash off?” acknowledged Mahmoud Al-Farra, an employee on the Hamas government media workplace. “This a huge disappointment.”

Some took to social media, questioning whether or no longer the crisis used to be genuine.

“The put are the taxes they get and the grants that enter Gaza dash?” one resident posted on Fb (NASDAQ:).