NUSEIRAT, Gaza Strip — Mohammed Baroud, a teacher in Gaza, has been waiting for five months to receive his salary from the government. Baroud, along with 40,000 other employees in the Gaza Strip, has not been paid in full since the formation of the Palestinian unity government and continues to work unpaid.

Baroud, from the Nuseirat area in central Gaza, told Al-Monitor that a year ago, before the formation of the unity government, he and his colleagues were paid part of their salaries. However, the new government headed by Rami Hamdallah does not recognize them as employees in Gaza, although they continue to report to work.

"The political tug that is taking place in our country is what brought us here," he said. "The solution needs sincere intentions and not to differentiate between the citizens, be they from Gaza or Ramallah. [Officials] should know that the livelihoods of people cannot be used for political considerations, as cutting our means of living is like cutting off our necks."

Abdullah Hamid, a nurse at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, said his debts are accumulating and he is unable to meet the basic needs of his large family. "The problem is that we still do not know what is our legal capacity as employees," he said. "Are we employed or not? However, we are still doing our jobs. If we stopped working, all government institutions would be paralyzed. Yet, the government refuses to give us our rights."