Ref: 110/2019

The Internal Security Service (ISS) in the Gaza Strip detained four Palestinian government employees on Tuesday morning, 08 October 2019, for updating the records of public servants registered with the Ministry of Finance in Ramallah.

According to PCHR’s investigations, on 07 October 2019, ISS summoned four members of the Ramallah-government designated committee for updating the records of public servants in the Gaza Strip. The detained employees are Rashid Abdulghani Rashid Sha’ath (47), Deputy General Manager at the Ministry of Interior Affairs; Mo’een Moussa Khalil Abdul-Salam (57), an employee in the General Personnel Council; Mohammed Fahed Hashem Shehab (44), an employee in the Finance Ministry; and Khaled Naser, a Budget  Officer in the Finance Ministry.  This morning, the four employees went to the ISS office in Gaza City and are still under custody.

The Palestinian Government’s Spokesperson in Ramallah, Ibrhaim Melhem, stated to the media that updating public servants’ records in the Gaza Strip was intended to solve the Gaza public servants’ issues and do them justice.

It should be noted that the Palestinian government has been prejudiced against public servants in the Gaza Strip, with measures that included 50% deductions of their salaries and the allocations for martyrs and injured citizens’ families; early retirement law of military and civil servants; and dismissal of hundreds of public servants, in violation of Civil Service Law and other procedures.

PCHR condemns the illegal arrest of the four employees and calls for their release. PCHR also calls for allowing the update of the public servants records in the Gaza Strip, upon the Palestinian Cabinet’s directives in order to remove any discrepancies from their employment records, as announced by the Ministry of Finance in Ramallah, in good faith of the latters’ intentions.