Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, his cabinet and security services he controls received part of their unpaid wages this week through President Mahmoud Abbas's office, officials said on Wednesday.
The payments - totalling about half of one month's salary - could mark a major setback in a US-led campaign to deny funds to the leaders of the government controlled by the militant group, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction. US officials were not immediately available to comment.
"The payment was made to all government employees, from the ministers down to the lowest ranking employee," a senior Palestinian Finance Ministry official told Reuters.
Haniyeh this week received half of his April salary, approximately $1,700, and aides said he donated it to the family of a Palestinian girl killed by an Israeli tank shell. "The ministers of the government were paid," said Salah al-Bardaweel, spokesman for the Hamas parliament bloc in the Gaza Strip. A US-led embargo has prevented the Hamas administration from paying salaries to 165,000 government workers since March. Many employees have received some cash smuggled in by Hamas ministers.