Head of institute for families of "Martyrs": Allowances are paid by "the [PA] government treasury and the PLO, and do not come from foreign donors"

     "[Director of the Institute For the Care of the Families of the Martyrs and the Wounded and widow of Abu Jihad, Intisar] Al-Wazir said that the institution has begun to prepare the data regarding the Martyrs who have fallen during the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip (i.e., 2014 Gaza War). This is in order to transfer them to the leadership to examine their families’ [entitlement to] allowances, similarly to families of previous Martyrs.. It should be noted that Israel launched the offensive against the Gaza Strip, which lasted 51 days and claimed more than 2,170 Martyrs and left 10,000 wounded. In addition, tens of thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed… Al-Wazir noted that all the funds transferred each month to the Martyrs’ families, are paid by the [PA] government treasury and the PLO, and do not come from foreign donors, who consider the Martyrs as ‘terrorists,' even though it was Israel, a terrorist state, that killed them. She said that five months ago [May 2014] the [PA] government began to pay the funds to the families of the Martyrs of 2008, 2009, and 2012 (apparently referring to “Martyrs” from Israeli military operations in Gaza: Cast Lead, 2008-9, and Pillar of Defense, 2012 –Ed.). She expressed hope that the funds to the [families of the] Martyrs of the last war (i.e., 2014 Gaza War) will be transferred as soon as possible.”