Palestinians still funding terrorists, including those freed in hostage deal – report

Palestinian Authority’s pay-to-slay program hasn’t stopped, says Israeli foreign minister, despite calls by the Trump administration to stop funding jailed terrorists and their families.

By World Israel News Staff

The Palestinian Authority is continuing to provide stipends to jailed Arab terrorists and to the families of slain terrorists, despite claims by Ramallah that it has halted the practice, according to a report published over the weekend.

For more than two decades, the PA has provided the stipends, despite pressure from Israel and the US to end the so-called “pay-to-slay” program, with both Israel and the US passing legislation sanctioning the Palestinian Authority over the practice.

Under pressure from the Trump administration in 2020 and again in 2025, Ramallah has pledged to halt payments to terrorists and the families of slain terrorists.

However, a report by the Palestinian Media Watch organization on Sunday revealed that the PA is continuing to distribute the stipends, despite its promises to halt the controversial program.

Unlike prior payments, the latest stipend distribution was carried out via the PA postal service, which transferred funds to recipients at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

“Because the PA has told the donor countries that it stopped the pay-for-slay program, it made no official announcements and it delayed the payments so that everyone, even the terrorists’ families, would think that the program had ended,” the PMW reported. “However, yesterday, the PA did pay the salaries.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope) said Monday that not only has the PA failed to end the pay-to-slay program, it has provided stipends to terrorists released by Israel as part of this month’s hostage deal.

“Contrary to the Palestinian Authority’s promises in English, it continues the policy of paying salaries to terrorists,” Sa’ar said during a joint press conference in Budapest alongside his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó.

“They pay wages to terrorists and their families for the murder of Jews and Israelis, in accordance with their law that has been in effect since 2004 — and to this very day.”

“The Authority rewards Palestinian terrorists, including Hamas members with Jewish blood on their hands — both those currently imprisoned and those who were released, such as in the recent deal. The Authority has never stopped paying salaries to terrorists; it has only changed the method. Today the terrorists receive the money from Palestinian post office branches.”

“The Authority is now even making additional payments to terrorists released under the agreement.”

According to Sa’ar, the continuation of the stipend program violates the PA’s obligations under the Gaza peace deal.

“President Trump’s 20-point plan made it clear: no legitimacy will be granted to the Authority without genuine reforms. It referred to the ‘Deal of the Century’ of 2020, which stated — and I quote:
‘The Palestinian Authority will take all necessary steps to immediately cease the payment of salaries to terrorists imprisoned in Israel and to the families of terrorists who were killed.’”

“To this day, the Palestinian Authority has failed to meet the criteria set by President Trump.”