British News Agency

Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa announced that 66 government interventions, including financial assistance, would be implemented to support targeted areas.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Mustafa said the interventions were launched to respond to urgent and basic needs raised by local councils and citizens during ministerial visits to various targeted areas.

Mustafa said field visits should be intensified in the coming weeks due to developments on the ground and increasing attacks on Palestinian villages and towns.

Drawing attention to the resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settler groups, Mustafa also expressed appreciation for the support provided to citizens by different segments of Palestinian society, as well as international partner institutions, foreign solidarity groups, civil society and the private sector.

According to a statement issued by the Government Communication Center, Mustafa also referred to support provided over the past two years through the Ministry of Local Government, the Municipal Development and Lending Fund and various partner institutions. Mustafa said more than 1,661 projects and interventions had been implemented at a cost of approximately 1.3 billion shekels, including infrastructure projects and emergency response activities covering various municipalities and village councils.

Humanitarian situation in Gaza

The Cabinet said that as the war in the Gaza Strip approaches its third year, the humanitarian situation in the area continues to deteriorate due to ongoing bombardment, hunger and the blockade. The statement said the malnutrition crisis, particularly among children and the elderly, continues.

The Cabinet stressed that humanitarian aid, including tents and tarpaulins, must be delivered free of charge and without obstruction to displaced and affected families in the Gaza Strip. It called for preventing the sale of aid or its use for commercial purposes.

The Palestinian Cabinet also rejected the recurrence of incidents that prevent government employees in Gaza from serving the public or make it difficult for them to carry out their duties.

The Cabinet also welcomed the positions of countries that expressed support for the Palestinian people from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly and called for these positions to be translated into effective and urgent international action. The statement said humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza, the blockade and hunger must be ended, and civilians must be protected.

The Cabinet meeting also discussed at first reading a draft decree-law on general amnesty. It was stated that if enacted, it would be the first general amnesty law in Palestine since the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority.

The draft regulates the offenses covered by the general amnesty, the conditions for implementation and the exceptions. It envisages ending ongoing criminal proceedings in courts concerning offenses covered by the regulation and reducing the number of pending criminal cases. However, it was stated that the rights of injured parties to seek compensation or enforce civil judgments issued in their favor would be preserved.

The Cabinet also reviewed at first reading a draft regulation on the use of electric bicycles and scooters. It emphasized that legal regulation of the sector should ensure that users meet the necessary requirements and that suitable parking and movement areas are created in coordination with local authorities and relevant institutions.

The meeting also approved the recommendations of the National Team for Following Up on Missing Persons and Persons of Unknown Fate. The team’s mandate and scope of work were defined, with attention drawn to the impact of the issue on the lives of thousands of families.