Palestinian Health Minister Basim Naeem of Hamas asked hospital directors on Monday not to cooperate with the European Union in setting up a programme to pay cash allowances directly to government doctors and nurses. He said the EU should work through his ministry and not bypass the Hamas-led government.
Opposition from the government could prevent the European Union from starting to make the payments as promised this month. Israel's military offensive in Gaza and detention of Hamas cabinet ministers could also delay implementation of the aid programme, Western diplomats said.
The EU aid programme, backed by the Quartet of Middle East mediators, calls for bypassing the Hamas-led government and providing the allowances directly to health workers. The government faces an international aid boycott over Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel, renounce violence and accept past peace agreements.
Unable to bring in funds from abroad, the government has not paid salaries to its 165,000 workers, including doctors and nurses, since March.
Speaking at a news conference in Gaza City, Naeem criticised the EU for bypassing his office and sending letters directly to hospital directors seeking detailed information about every employee who would be eligible to receive the allowances. Naeem called the EU programme a "suspicious plot which pretends to provide help, but is aimed at destroying the political and administrative (health) system."
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