RAMALLAH, (PIC)
On the sidewalk opposite the headquarters of the Council of Ministers in the city of Ramallah, dozens of wounded Palestinians, families of martyrs, and prisoners continue their open-ended sit-in for two months, in a scene that reflects one of the most sensitive social and economic crises in the Palestinian territories.
However, the sit-in, which began to demand the resumption of financial allowances, entered a more dangerous phase after the father of one of the martyrs attempted to throw himself from the top of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing building, protesting the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) cutting of his family’s allowances and his inability to provide the most basic necessities of life, in an incident that brought back to the forefront the scale of psychological and living pressures experienced by thousands of families.
The protesters believe that the dangerous incident came as a direct result of the continuation of the crisis and the faltering of solutions, warning that ignoring their demands could lead to further tension and escalation.
Suicide attempt shakes the sit-in
Last Wednesday, the father of a martyr in his late sixties, a resident of Bethlehem governorate, attempted to throw himself from the top of the emergency staircase in the Ministry of Public Works and Housing building opposite the headquarters of the Council of Ministers, after receiving a phone call from his wife informing him that the electricity had been cut off from their home because they were unable to pay the bill.
The incident did not end in disaster, after one of the protesters managed to grab him at the last moments, but the incident left a deep impact among the protesters, who considered it a dangerous indicator of the level of despair reached by the affected families.
National rights not social aid
The protesters stress that their demands are not about obtaining humanitarian aid, but rather about restoring national rights guaranteed by law to the families of martyrs, the wounded, and prisoners.
They demand the cancellation or review of the decree issued in April 2025, which led to the transfer of the allowances file to the Tamkeen foundation, and dealing with them as social cases subject to the criteria of poverty and need, which they categorically reject.
They also demand the resumption of monthly allowances, the termination of the reduction policy, and the restoration of consideration for their files as part of the national responsibility towards those who made sacrifices.
Negotiations reach a dead end
The spokesperson for the protesters, the liberated prisoner Nasser Zaid, says that all rounds of dialogue with official authorities have not achieved any progress, pointing out that the government has not provided clear commitments regarding the restoration of rights.
He added in a press statement that the attempt by the martyr’s father to end his life reflected the scale of economic and psychological pressures experienced by families, holding the government responsible for reaching this stage due to the continued disregard for the protesters’ demands.
He also confirmed that the protesters are studying the escalation of their protest steps during the coming days, including an open-ended hunger strike, if the absence of solutions continues.
Wounded people living on the edge of poverty
Inside the sit-in tent, the stories of the wounded are repeated about the deterioration of their living conditions since the allowances stopped.
The wounded man Abu Ahmad, who was injured during the Al-Aqsa Intifada and suffers from a permanent disability, said, “I need medicines on a daily basis, and some of them I have no longer been able to buy for months. The allowance used to help me with treatment and securing the needs of my family, and today I live on debts and the help of relatives.”
He added in a statement to the PIC correspondent that the wounded do not demand privileges, but rather rights linked to the sacrifices they made.
As for the wounded man Muhammad Khalil, who sustained an injury that made him lose the ability to work, he said, “Since the allowances stopped, I have become unable to pay the house rent or provide the needs of my children. We feel that we have been left alone to face harsh conditions, even though we paid great prices from our health and our bodies.”
Meanwhile, the mother of one of the martyrs, who participates daily in the sit-in, said, “We do not ask for charity. My son was martyred while defending his homeland, and today we find ourselves searching for the price of electricity, medicine, and food.”
Warning of humanitarian repercussions
In their statement issued on the occasion of the fifty-ninth day of the sit-in, the protesters held Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa, members of the government, and everyone who has the ability to intervene legally, morally, and nationally responsible for ending the crisis.
They also renewed their appeal to the PA President Mahmoud Abbas to intervene urgently to restore rights to their owners, stressing their rejection of any self-harm, while continuing their peaceful and legal struggle.
They warned that the continuation of the policy of ignoring and neglect could lead to further tension and despair, and portends dangerous humanitarian and social repercussions.
Open sit-in, and a crisis without an end
After about two months since the start of the sit-in, signs of a breakthrough do not seem close, in light of the faltering dialogue and the continuation of the dispute over the mechanism for paying allowances.
Between the tents of the sit-in, the wounded, families of martyrs, and prisoners continue to wait for an official response that restores to them what they consider an inherent right, while the long days turn into a new test of the ability of these families to remain steadfast, amid fears that the continuation of the crisis could lead to further protest steps and humanitarian repercussions.