Hamas sinks in polls after cutting salaries to public servants
Hamas' popularity has fallen behind Fatah in the Gaza Strip, according to recent polls, as frustration mounts over its handling of the territory's economic crisis.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On Feb. 2, concerns seemed evident on the faces of governmental employees in the Gaza Strip, as they lined up in a long line in front of the Hamas-affiliated National Islamic Bank. They were waiting to receive their salaries, which had been reduced by 50% for the third month in a row.
The government pays its employees between 1,000 Israeli shekels ($285) and 4,000 Israeli shekels ($1,140) a month, as announced by Gaza government Deputy Prime Minister Ziad al-Zaza in a statement on Jan. 29 to the governmental news agency Al-Ray.
According to Iyad Abu Hein, director-general of the treasury's general administration in the Ministry of Finance, the government each month pays salaries amounting to 88 million Israeli shekels ($25 million) to 46,000 employees, as per a press statement published on the ministry’s website.
Al-Monitor met with Mohsen, an employee at the Ministry of Interior. “For three months now, I have been receiving only half of my salary, which means I cannot meet the minimum requirements of my family,” he said. He added that he has become indebted to many stores and to some of his relatives to meet his family's monthly needs.
