Gaza banks open gradually after week of closure

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Banks in the Gaza Strip gradually began operating on Wednesday after a week of closure, a Palestinian official said.

Jihad al-Wazir, governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, told Ma'an that clients had begun to withdraw money as Hamas-affiliated police officers were given orders to allow banks to open.

Hundreds of Palestinian Authority government employees lined up at banks to withdraw their salaries, a Ma'an reporter said.

The banking crisis started last Wednesday when Hamas employees of the former Gaza government were angered to find out they had not been paid, with Hamas-affiliated police officers preventing PA employees from collecting their wages.

Employees of the previous government see it as Ramallah's responsibility to pay their salaries, but the new unity government says no such agreement was ever made with Hamas. more

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