RAMALLAH, April 30, 2026 (WAFA) – Minister of Women’s Affairs Mona Al-Khalili said that the Israeli occupation authorities are not only undermining the Palestinian economy, but are also engaging in what she described as “compound economic violence” against Palestinian women by restricting their access to the labor market and resources and pushing them towards informal employment that lacks legal and social protection.
In a statement issued by the ministry on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, Al-Khalili stressed that women’s economic justice represents a key pillar of national resilience and a foundation for building a fair Palestinian economy that ensures equal opportunities, safe working conditions, and social protection.
She pointed to economic indicators showing a sharp decline in the Palestinian economy, with gross domestic product contracting by around 24 percent. The Gaza Strip economy collapsed by about 84 percent, and the West Bank economy declined by about 13 percent.
She also noted that unemployment rose to around 46 percent, with 78 percent in the Gaza Strip and 28 percent in the West Bank, and that more than 650,000 people were unemployed.
Regarding women in the labor market, Al-Khalili said that 41.5 percent of women work without contracts, 30 percent are employed on verbal agreements, and only 47.2 percent receive paid maternity leave, in addition to a persistent wage gap in favor of men.
She added that the financial crisis, including continued Israeli deductions from clearance revenues, has deepened economic fragility and negatively affected families, particularly those headed by women, while the situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate amid widespread loss of income sources, rising poverty, and food insecurity.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs stressed that these indicators call for urgent interventions to enhance decent work opportunities for women, expand social protection coverage, and address economic violence as a central policy issue.
Al-Khalili concluded by stressing that women’s economic empowerment is essential to strengthening Palestinian resilience, calling on the international community and the International Labour Organization to assume their responsibilities and press for halting violations and ensuring Palestinian workers’ right to decent work and a dignified life.
T.R.
