Terrorists come first, sick Palestinians second

The number of medicines from the list of basic medicines that have reached zero stock stands at about 180, out of 520 medicines supplied by the Ministry of Health.

By Nan Jacques Zilberdik, Palestinian Media Watch

As the Palestinian Authority persistently continues to prioritize rewarding terrorists and murderers financially through their Pay-for-Slay program, other parts of society, including Palestinians with “chronic diseases, cancer, and those in intensive care,” are in distress, Palestinian Media Watch can confirm.

The PA Ministry of Health reports that the “lives of thousands of patients are at risk” in a health system on the verge of “collapse” because of the PA’s financial crisis.

A crisis the PA has put itself in by adamantly refusing to stop paying millions to terrorists and therefore causing Israel to withhold taxes in the amount equal to what the PA spends on terror rewards.

The PA Ministry of Health admitted that this practice by Israel—”the complete seizure of the Palestinian tax money”—is what “directly affects the lives of patients.”

So, while Palestinian terrorists celebrate a monthly paycheck, sick Palestinians continue to suffer with less hope of getting cured or even just staying alive:

[PA] Ministry of Health:

“The lives of thousands of patients are at risk; the government is making efforts to prevent a worsening of the crisis, and appeals to the world for urgent intervention.”

“Data from the [PA] Ministry of Health indicates that the financial crisis has weakened the [PA] government’s ability to pay pharmaceutical companies, following the complete seizure of the Palestinian tax money by the occupation (i.e., Israel) over the past 15 months, which constitutes about 68% of the Ministry of Finance’s revenues.

This situation has caused a slowdown or halt in the supply of medicines, a severe shortage of medicines for chronic diseases, cancer, and intensive care, and a disruption of the strategic balance of medicine stockpiles.

The number of medicines from the list of basic medicines that have reached zero stock stands at about 180, out of 520 medicines supplied by the Ministry of Health.

Regarding tumor-related medicines, the number of medicines that have reached zero stock stands at 50 out of 97 medicines supplied by the ministry.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 5, 2026]

PA TV host: “The [PA] Ministry of Health reported that the current financial crisis is affecting various components of the health sector in the West Bank, including government, public, and private hospitals, in addition to importers of medicines and medical supplies, as a result of accumulated debts and irregular payments.”

PA TV reporter: “Hundreds of types of essential medicines and medical supplies have reached critical levels of depletion, including life-saving drugs, cancer medications, and dialysis, posing a direct threat to the continued provision of medical services…

The Ministry of Health stressed that the continued prevention of funds for the Palestinian people (i.e., the amount of PA terror salaries withheld by Israel) directly affects the lives of patients and threatens the right to medical care, necessitating urgent and responsible international intervention to save the health system from collapse.”

[Official PA TV, May 23, 2026]

Palestinian Media Watch has already exposed that the PA also prioritizes terrorist salaries over children’s education and over salaries to its civil servants.