TEL AVIV, August 29, 2009 (WAFA)- Six Gazans filed a petition with the Israeli High Court against the Bank of Israel, the Israeli National Insurance Institute and the Israeli government, demanding that the court order the Bank of Israel to grant them the disability benefits they are entitled to, Ynet reported.

The petitioners have not been receiving their allowance for some eight months and they claim this is due to the Bank of Israel's decision to cease contacts with banks in Gaza.

The six petitioners were injured and became disabled while working in Israel and include two construction workers and a roof tar worker who suffered serious injuries after falling from top floors; a gardener in the Herzeliya city council that a crane fell on him; a carwash worker whose two fingers were cut off, and a road accident victim.

They were all acknowledged as being disabled and received a monthly allowance of thousand of shekels.

The petitioners received the funds on a regular basis for years until a decision by the Bank of Israel in December 2008. According to the petition, the Bank of Israel authorized Israeli banks to stop working with Palestinian banks in the Gaza Strip.

The petitioners claim that this resulted in a cessation of all business transactions between Israeli banks and Gaza banks. From that moment on, the National Insurance Institute stopped transferring payments for the six, as well as for the rest of Gaza residents entitled to disability benefits.

The petition was filed through the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights. It stated that the cessation of allowances lead to a major compromise of the petitioners' right for property and constitutional rights for social welfare and dignified minimal existence.

The six claimed that they have not been receiving the money they are entitled to for over eight months, despite repeated complaints with the National Insurance Institute. As time goes by, they said, this hurts them even more.

They stress that there is no question as to their entitlement to the benefits since it was already established by the National Insurance Institute.

The only disagreement is on whether it was the order given by the bank of Israel that caused the cessation of the allowances for them and the rest of Gaza residents.

Attorney Sawsan Zaher from the Adalah center said, 'This is money which is for employees that were injured during work in Israel. Leaving the funds in the hands of Israeli authorities amounts to unjust enrichment which is forbidden by law.'