Why were Gaza’s poor denied monetary allowances?
The political dispute between Hamas and the consensus government in Ramallah has affected many poor families in the Gaza Strip whose welfare payments have been cut off.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip lined up in front of banks April 10, the day before the Palestinian Authority Social Affairs Ministry in Ramallah began disbursing welfare payments to poor families.
The payments — 150 Israeli shekels ($41) per family member — are disbursed to poor families without an income every three months. People who expect to receive these payments must check with the tax office to ensure their names do not appear on a tax roll; in April, 638 families in Gaza discovered that their payments had been denied as a result of the updating of tax records.
