Israel to send cash to Gaza for Palestinian Authority employees

palestinian-authorityRamallah  - Palestinian Authority (PA) employees in Gaza will receive complete salaries this month after Israel agreed to send 72 million shekels (20 million dollars) in cash to the besieged territory, Palestinian official said on Saturday.

Jehad al-Wazeer, head of the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA), expected that Israel will allow the entry of the cash to Gaza very soon "so the banks will be able to pay full salaries to the employees."

On Thursday, the banks started to pay employees' salaries but many workers received only part of the monthly payment, as the banks did not have enough shekels in cash, al-Wazeer says.

Israeli banks severed ties with Palestinian banks in Gaza last year after the Islamic movement Hamas forcibly took control of the coastal strip.

Al-Wazeer added that the crisis widened when Israel delayed replacing 40 million shekels of paper currency withdrawn from circulation by banks in the Gaza Strip. (dpa)