ICSPR Any Deductions from the Salaries of Gaza Employees Require Full and Transparent Disclosure of the Legal and Financial Basis for Any Arrangements Concerning Their Debts

Date: September 13, 2026

Press Statement

(ICSPR): Any Deductions from the Salaries of Gaza Employees Require Full and Transparent Disclosure of the Legal and Financial Basis for Any Arrangements Concerning Their Debts

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) is following with grave concern the information and complaints circulating regarding new financial arrangements related to the bank debts of employees in the Gaza Strip, as well as newly introduced deductions from the salaries of a number of employees in favor of the Ministry of Finance. These developments are taking place amid the ongoing catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and the resulting severe deterioration in the living conditions of employees and their families.

ICSPR emphasizes that the seriousness of this issue is not limited to the deductions from salaries themselves. It also extends to the nature of the financial arrangements that have resulted in the restructuring or settlement of employees’ debts, the legal basis upon which they were founded, the parties involved in their preparation and implementation, how the debts were calculated, the mechanism for collecting them from employees’ salaries, and the extent to which they affect employees’ financial rights, public funds, and public debt.

According to circulating information, arrangements have been made concerning bank debts owed by employees in the Gaza Strip estimated at approximately USD 500 million. It is reportedly understood that the settlement of these debts did not rely on direct cash payments from the public treasury, but rather on financial arrangements linked to public debt and the obligations of the Palestinian National Authority toward the banking sector. Information has also circulated regarding the commencement of salary deductions from some employees in favor of the Ministry of Finance as of July 1, 2026.

While ICSPR stresses that it does not treat this unpublished information as established facts pending the issuance of the relevant official documents, it considers that the absence of official disclosure regarding the nature, details, and legal and financial basis of these arrangements constitutes, in itself, a matter requiring urgent attention, particularly when the issue concerns the salaries and financial rights of thousands of employees and arrangements involving public funds and the banking sector.

These concerns acquire additional significance in light of the accumulated financial entitlements owed to Gaza employees and the restrictions reportedly affecting the possibility of using such entitlements to settle certain financial obligations, including loan installments. Employees have for years faced exceptional circumstances characterized by irregular salary payments, a decline in their real purchasing power, and accumulated living expenses, in addition to the catastrophic consequences of war and displacement, the loss of sources of income and property, and the resulting increased reliance on the banking system to meet basic and essential needs.

ICSPR considers that addressing the public financial crisis, regardless of how necessary it may be, must not come at the expense of the most vulnerable groups. Financial pressures facing the public treasury cannot, under any circumstances, justify a lack of transparency or impose additional financial burdens on employees through undisclosed arrangements or arrangements whose legal basis is unclear. Likewise, any restructuring of public debt or banking obligations must not, directly or indirectly, become a means of shifting financial burdens onto employees and their families without proper disclosure.

The Commission stresses that respecting employees’ rights is not incompatible with the need to address debts, protect the banking system, or ensure sound public financial management. Rather, it requires that any such measures be undertaken within a clear legal and financial framework, take into account employees’ actual ability to repay, protect the minimum income necessary to maintain a dignified standard of living for employees and their families, guarantee equality and non-discrimination, and remain subject to independent institutional oversight.

ICSPR further emphasizes that what is required from all concerned parties is not to engage in a media dispute, but to place the relevant documents, facts, and figures before employees and the public. This would allow these arrangements to be objectively assessed, strengthen confidence in the management of public funds, protect employees’ rights, and prevent conflicting information or rumors from spreading concerning an issue that affects the primary source of income for thousands of Palestinian families.

Accordingly, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) calls for the following:

First: ICSPR calls upon the government and the Ministry of Finance to fully and transparently disclose all financial and legal arrangements concerning the debts of employees in the Gaza Strip, including the total value of the debt, the number of employees covered, the nature of the agreements or arrangements concluded in this regard, and their impact on public debt and public funds.

Second: To disclose the legal basis for deductions from employees’ salaries, the authority responsible for issuing and implementing them, the value, percentage, and duration of the installments, and the mechanism used to calculate them, while ensuring that no deductions exceed the limits permitted by law or undermine the minimum income necessary for the livelihood of employees and their families.

Third: To disclose the nature and total value of the accumulated financial entitlements owed to employees in the Gaza Strip, and to clarify whether these entitlements have been incorporated, directly or indirectly, into any settlements or arrangements related to employees’ debts to banks, together with clarification of the relevant legal and financial basis.

Fourth: ICSPR calls upon the Palestine Monetary Authority and the concerned banks to clarify the nature of the banking arrangements related to the debts of employees in the Gaza Strip and the extent to which they are connected to any arrangements with the Ministry of Finance or the public treasury, while fully respecting banking confidentiality and employees’ personal data.

Fifth: ICSPR calls upon the competent oversight and legal authorities to conduct an independent and transparent review of these arrangements, verify the legality and soundness of their procedures and legal and financial basis, assess their compliance with public financial management rules and the protection of employees’ rights, and examine their actual impact on public debt and the banking sector.

Sixth: ICSPR calls for an institutional dialogue with representatives of employees, relevant professional bodies, and oversight authorities before taking any further measures that could increase employees’ financial burdens, with the aim of reaching fair and workable solutions that take into account the exceptional humanitarian and economic crisis in the Gaza Strip.

ICSPR emphasizes that transparency is not merely a media demand, but a legal and ethical obligation in the management of public funds. An employee’s salary is not merely a figure in a financial settlement; it is a source of livelihood and a financial right directly linked to human dignity and the social security of the family. Any settlement of public or banking debts must therefore be carried out within a framework of law, transparency, and justice, without placing the cost of financial crises solely on employees who played no role in creating them.

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR)