Fresh protests against civil service pay cuts broke out in Gaza yesterday, as pressure builds on Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to tackle the crisis.
The decision this week by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to slash the salaries of civil servants in the Gaza Strip has sparked days of protests. Tens of thousands took to a square in central Gaza City yesterday in the largest protest since the 30% cut was announced, with demonstrators calling on PA leader Abbas to sack his government.
A handful of protesters announced they would begin a hunger strike, a spokesman said.
The Fatah-run PA announced the pay cuts earlier this week, saying they were necessary because its budget has been hit by falling foreign aid.
Local elections set for May have also been suspended in the Gaza Strip after infighting, though they are expected to take place in the West Bank.
UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov said he was “deeply concerned by the growing tensions in Gaza.”
He said that while the Palestinian government faced difficult economic conditions, it should make spending cuts “with consideration to the harsh conditions under which people in Gaza live”.
He urged both parties to work together to resolve the crisis and “bring about real national reconciliation that ends the division”.
Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza for a decade.
Palestinian Authority employees take part in a protest against what they say are deductions on their salaries, in Gaza City yesterday.
