Ramallah: The Palestinian Cabinet on Tuesday renewed its call on the international community to exert greater pressure on Israel to facilitate the immediate medical evacuation of over 20,000 injured individuals from the Gaza Strip for treatment abroad. The Cabinet highlighted the dire situation where injured individuals are being denied necessary medical treatment due to the destruction of healthcare facilities and the severe restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies. It warned of the worsening humanitarian situation and the risk of complete collapse in the Strip following renewed military aggression, attacks on civilians, and obstruction of humanitarian aid and relief convoys.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, during its weekly session in Ramallah, the Cabinet reviewed reports on escalating settler terrorism and crimes. In the past week, settlers carried out 31 attacks targeting 11 Palestinian villages, resulting in the vandalism of civilian vehicles, damage to private property, and the establishment of new settlement outposts. These acts coincided with Israeli occupation forces demolishing 26 Palestinian structures and issuing 46 demolition notices against other structures.
The Cabinet condemned the killing of a young man and a child by Israeli occupation forces in Beit Ummar and the continued withholding of their bodies. It described this act as a twofold crime reflecting the occupation's brutality and the systematic use of lethal force by its military leadership. The Cabinet held the Israeli leadership accountable for the attacks carried out by settler militias, including arson attacks targeting mosques in Jiljilya and Mazare' al-Nubani, and called for urgent international action.
The Cabinet received a briefing from the Minister of Finance on the current fiscal situation, emphasizing the importance of continuing the Government's reform agenda. This includes strengthening governance and public financial management amid the continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues. President Mahmoud Abbas' support and approval of legislative amendments to Decree-Law No. (26) of 2024 regarding VAT were commended. These amendments aim to launch an institutional development program within the Ministry of Finance, establish a Higher Council for Public Revenues, and improve revenue collection to ensure basic services continue amid financial challenges.
The Cabinet also approved the General Policy for the Telecommunications and Information Technology Sector (2026-2028), aiming to develop and regulate the sector, enhance digital transformation, improve government digital services, and promote digital trust and data governance. Additionally, it approved replacing paper health insurance cards with smart cards to modernize the healthcare sector and digitize services, enhancing security, privacy, and data accuracy.
Further discussions included a draft regulation for childcare centers, reconstituting the Dispute Review Committees within the Higher Council for Public Procurement Policies, and forming a task force to address landfill-related issues, aiming to strengthen governance and develop solutions.