Ramallah: The Palestinian Cabinet has strongly condemned the brutal escalation of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, warning that the Israeli occupation forces' control over the so-called "Morag Axis" and the separation of Rafah and Khan Yunis is a criminal scheme aimed at entrenching the occupation and fragmenting the Strip.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the Cabinet emphasized that this constitutes a blatant defiance and a flagrant violation of international law, which clearly affirms that Gaza is an integral part of the State of Palestine. During its weekly session, the Cabinet reiterated its call on the international community to take immediate action to rein in Israel's war machine, enforce a complete withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, and ensure the unrestricted and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, as the Strip faces a humanitarian catastrophe that threatens the very foundations of life there.
The Cabinet warned that the absence of decisive international action has emboldened Israel to continue its actions against the Palestinian people. It renewed calls for urgent international intervention to halt the Israeli occupation, forced displacement, settlement expansion, and settler violence. It also urged swift activation of international accountability mechanisms and the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions, including Security Council Resolution 2735 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, to bring an immediate and unconditional end to Israel's occupation without any delay.
Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa emphasized that the critical stage the Palestinian people are facing requires sincere efforts from all and the unification of state institutions, particularly in light of the Israeli occupation's escalating measures against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem. He also highlighted the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and pointed to President Mahmoud Abbas's directives for the diplomatic corps to ramp up international engagement to defend Palestinian rights.
On the issue of sheltering displaced families in the northern West Bank, the Government continues its efforts through the Ministerial Committee for Emergency Action, in cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), to provide support to displaced families. These efforts include ongoing work to improve temporary shelter conditions.
Furthermore, as part of the Government's reform program aimed at rationalizing expenditures and streamlining public institutions, the Cabinet recommended to President Abbas the dissolution of five non-ministerial government institutions. This decision aims to reduce bureaucratic procedures, enhance efficiency, and redistribute approximately 800 public employees to other government institutions based on need, given the government's hiring freeze, which excludes essential sectors such as health, education, and the judiciary.
The institutions to be dissolved are: The Cooperative Work Agency, the National Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, the Radiation and Nuclear Work Regulation Agency, the Public Health Institute, and the Land and Water Settlement Commission. Additionally, the Cabinet approved the inclusion of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in the Contract Employees Review Committee and the formation of a specialized committee to review the internal financial audit system to enhance public finance governance.
