Gaza authorities start paying Palestinian civil servants from Qatar funds

The Palestinian Finance Ministry in the Gaza Strip on Friday started paying civil servants from funds donated by Qatar, according to Qatar news agency. The ministry “starts disbursing the Qatari donation to 27,000 civil servants who belong to the civilian segment,” the report said, adding that the salaries for the others will be paid from local revenue. Palestinian civil servants formed long queues in Gaza to receive Qatari-funded salaries, AFP reported. The donation is part of efforts to ease tensions in and around the impoverished territory. A total of $90 million is to be distributed in six monthly installments of $15 million, according to authorities, primarily to cover salaries of officials working for Hamas.