DaysofPal- Government employees in the Gaza Strip no longer expect to receive a full salary, or even a consistent partial payment. Instead, they wait for limited financial disbursements that rarely exceed 1,000 shekels (about $270) and often arrive only once every 100 days, while the prices of essential goods continue to rise and humanitarian needs intensify for tens of thousands of families that once relied on public-sector wages as their primary source of income.
For many government workers, official employment has become an additional burden rather than a sign of financial stability. Because they remain registered as public employees in official records used by many aid organizations and charities, they are frequently excluded from humanitarian assistance programs despite facing severe economic hardship.
Employees say the payments provided by Gaza’s government administration are no longer sufficient to cover even a few days of household expenses. Families are forced to pay increasingly high prices for food, water, and other daily necessities. Their difficulties are compounded by the fact that part of the money is often distributed in worn or damaged banknotes, which many merchants refuse to accept or discount below face value.
Debt, Hardship, and Growing Despair
Abu Ahmad, a 44-year-old police officer and father of five, says his life has changed dramatically since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. He now struggles to provide even the most basic necessities for his family.
“One thousand shekels every three months is not enough to pay off even a small portion of our accumulated debts,” he said. “I buy food on credit and constantly postpone my children’s basic needs. Many times, my children ask for simple things, and I cannot provide them.”
He explained that his salary once allowed him to maintain a minimum standard of living, but today he feels powerless in front of his family, with securing food and water becoming his primary concern.
Similarly, Umm Saed, a 38-year-old government school teacher, said the crisis extends far beyond financial hardship and has taken a significant psychological and social toll.
“We are living on debt and aid,” she said. “Whenever a payment arrives, it goes directly toward covering accumulated obligations. There is no sense of security or stability.”
According to her, one of the most difficult aspects of the crisis is not only the small amount of money distributed but also the uncertainty surrounding payment schedules. With disbursements sometimes delayed for more than 100 days, planning for even basic household purchases has become nearly impossible.
Other employees point to another challenge: receiving part of their payments in old and damaged currency notes, which often leads to disputes with shop owners and merchants.
Abu Salim, a 45-year-old employee at the Ministry of Endowments, said many traders refuse worn banknotes or accept them only after deducting part of their value.
“We already receive very small amounts,” he said. “Then we lose part of that money because of the condition of the currency in circulation.”
Expanding Poverty Across Gaza
Economic experts say that many government employees who were once considered part of Gaza’s middle class have now fallen into poverty due to declining incomes and soaring living costs.
Their plight comes amid one of the worst economic and humanitarian crises in Gaza’s history. Recent United Nations estimates and economic reports indicate that more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population is living below the poverty line, while unemployment has surpassed 80 percent following the collapse of economic activity and the loss of most sources of income.
As a result, the overwhelming majority of families now depend on humanitarian and food assistance to survive.
The World Food Programme has warned that most residents of Gaza face severe levels of food insecurity, with hundreds of thousands of families requiring food aid after losing their livelihoods during recent years.
Against this backdrop, government employees find themselves trapped in an increasingly difficult reality: near-nonexistent income, soaring prices, growing family needs, and an uncertain economic future.
With the salary crisis showing no signs of resolution and no clear indication of a return to regular payments, poverty and deprivation continue to spread among Gaza’s public-sector workers. A segment of society that once formed a pillar of economic and social stability is increasingly becoming one of the most vulnerable groups in the territory, reflecting the depth of the broader humanitarian crisis facing Gaza as a whole.
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