Ramallah (Al-Ittihad, agencies)
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said yesterday that the total losses of the private sector amounted to $1.5 billion since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
He stated in a statement that $25 million is the average daily losses to which the Palestinian private sector has been exposed since last October 7, excluding losses in property and fixed assets that have not been calculated.
The number of private sector establishments in Palestine is estimated at approximately 176 thousand establishments, distributed as follows: 56 thousand in the Gaza Strip and 120 thousand in the West Bank. Palestinian census estimates indicate that 29% of establishments in the West Bank were affected by a decline in production, or production was halted by 35,000 establishments, while most establishments in the Gaza Strip stopped completely.
The statement added: “Tightening the screws on the governorates of the West Bank, severing communication between the governorates, obstructing the arrival of goods from abroad, and preventing the access of Palestinians from the 48 areas to the cities of the West Bank, had severe repercussions on the wheel of production.”
The number of workers in the Palestinian private sector is 522 thousand workers (349 thousand in the West Bank and 173 thousand in the Gaza Strip).
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said: “As a result of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, approximately 89% of the total number of workers in the Gaza Strip have stopped working.”
In another context, the Palestinian Ministry of Finance and Planning said yesterday that it would pay a percentage of the salaries of the National Authority’s civilian and military employees for the month of last November as the financial crisis it faces continues. The ministry added in a statement that this payment, scheduled to be disbursed next Saturday, comes “based on arrangements between the government, the Monetary Authority and the banking system,” without further details.
The ministry explained in its statement, “65 percent of the salary of the 11th month of 2023 will be disbursed, with a minimum limit of 2,000 shekels, and banks are not permitted to deduct any installments or interest from this salary.”
The ministry said, “The Ministry of Finance will cover the value of the 50% advance that was disbursed by the banks to employees for the month of October.” The employees have not received their full salaries for about two years in light of the financial crisis that the Palestinian Authority is going through.
#Palestinian #Statistics #billion #losses #private #sector #result #war #Gaza