Protests by Hamas government workers force banks to close
Just days after the new Palestinian reconciliation government was announced, a crisis has broken out because employees of the former Hamas government in Gaza have not received salaries, unlike their Palestinian Authority counterparts in the West Bank.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Barely a few days after the new Palestinian government was announced on June 2, the first of many anticipated crises erupted, following the nonpayment of salaries to employees of the former Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, in contrast to what happened with their Palestinian Authority (PA) counterparts.
The occurrence led to chaos in many Gazan cities on June 4-5, when fights erupted in front of banks, leading to police intervention. This was followed by banks announcing that, starting on June 5, they would remain closed until further notice.
