RAMALLAH, May 19, 2026 (WAFA) –The Palestinian Cabinet warned on Tuesday of the grave implications highlighted in United Nations reports indicating that approximately 1.6 million people in the Gaza Strip — nearly 77% of the population — are at immediate risk of renewed famine due to declining humanitarian funding and the reduced flow of aid.
During its weekly session held in Ramallah, the Cabinet renewed its call for urgent and coordinated international action to implement early recovery programmes aimed at restoring basic services and improving humanitarian and living conditions.
The Cabinet affirmed the Government’s readiness to work with partners to ensure the continuity of national institutions and reinforce the unity of Palestine and Palestinian governance over both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It stressed that any interim arrangements intended to address the crisis must support the Government’s ability to fulfill its national responsibilities across the entire territory of the State of Palestine, including Gaza, rather than serve as an alternative to Palestinian governance or to the full and regular transfer of Palestinian clearance revenues.
The Cabinet also condemned the escalating terrorist attacks carried out by Israeli settlers, which reached 143 attacks within a single week targeting 17 Palestinian villages. These attacks resulted in the killing of 16-year-old Yousef Ka’abna during a bloody assault on the village of Jaljilya, north of Ramallah. The assaults also injured 13 Palestinians and coincided with four demolition operations targeting Palestinian structures, the issuance of 51 demolition notices, and military land confiscation orders in Qabatiya and the village of Nabi Samuel.
It further condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ approval of plans to convert the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied Jerusalem into military facilities, describing the move as a flagrant violation of international law and an attack on the work, immunity, and presence of the United Nations and its institutions in the occupied Palestinian Territory. The Cabinet reiterated its call for international protection for the Palestinian people and for an end to settler attacks and settlement expansion.
At the same time, while commending public sector employees for their patience and continued dedication in serving the Palestinian people and strengthening their steadfastness, the Cabinet appealed to all unions to suspend protest activities in order to reinforce internal cohesion in the face of the escalating assault by the Israeli occupation government and its settlers.
In this regard, the Cabinet reaffirmed that clearance revenues are Palestinian funds and stressed that their transfer to the Palestinian Ministry of Finance must be resumed fully and regularly in accordance with signed agreements and existing obligations.
Despite the financial blockade imposed on the Government, the Ministry of Finance continues efforts to secure the disbursement of a salary payment before Eid al-Adha and is expected to issue a statement on the matter later, alongside additional measures aimed at strengthening the resilience of public employees.
In another context, the Cabinet extended its congratulations to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah Movement on the successful convening of the Fateh’s Eighth General Congress, considering it part of the democratic and national approach adopted and announced by President Abbas.
The Cabinet also instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to take the necessary legal measures to register and identify livestock in order to verify ownership amid escalating settler attacks targeting livestock and repeated theft incidents, alongside further measures to strengthen programmes supporting the steadfastness of livestock breeders.
Additionally, it approved the recommendations of the Technical Committee for the Management of State Property in its 154th meeting, including the allocation of government land in Jericho to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for an existing school, the allocation of land in Zawata, Nablus Governorate, for the establishment of a public park, and the leasing of plots of land in Nablus Governorate for agricultural purposes.
The Cabinet also approved funding requests submitted by non-profit companies from donor entities for relief and development purposes in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem.
On the occasion of the approaching Eid al-Adha holiday, the Cabinet extended its greetings to the Palestinian people, expressing hope that the next Eid will come with the realization of the Palestinian people’s aspirations for freedom and independence. The Cabinet approved the Eid holiday from Tuesday morning until Saturday evening.
