The Palestinian government on Thursday began paying partial salaries to 165,000 civil servants who haven't received their full wages in months with money donated by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but government employees complained that in some cases, the money hadn't arrived, and in others they were left with nothing after banks deducted commissions and interest and paid off existing loans. Those employees -- thousands of them -- filled the streets of Gaza today, burning tires, blocking roads and firing in the air.
Outside Rafah City, protesters threw stones at the vehicle of Attalah Abu Sabh, Hamas' minister of culture, breaking its windows. The protesters also tried to enter a number of schools and disrupt studies, witnesses said.
Later, five people were wounded when a Hamas sympathiser tossed a hand grenade into the demonstration in Deir el-Balah, security sources said.
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