Cabinet Approves Formation of National Team to Follow Up on Missing Persons

SadaNews - Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa emphasized the priority of aiding the residents of the Gaza Strip, the necessity of opening crossings, and supporting all efforts that contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians.

Mustafa confirmed in the opening of the weekly cabinet session today, Tuesday, that the State of Palestine welcomes any effort or action to aid and empower our people, ensuring the unity of the West Bank and Gaza Strip geographically, legally, and institutionally, in accordance with international law, United Nations resolutions, and international agreements.

In this context, the cabinet demanded the need to move to the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli withdrawal from the sector, and the commencement of recovery and reconstruction, after closing the issue of Israeli prisoners and receiving the last bodies, warning against the dangers of Israel manipulating the agreement by fabricating new pretexts for escalation and hindering execution.

The cabinet also condemned the military operation carried out by the occupation army in the town of Kafr Aqab and the vicinity of Qalandiya camp north of Jerusalem, which included extensive incursions, demolition of buildings and facilities, and assaults on camp residents, as part of a systematic policy targeting Palestinians in the Jerusalem Governorate, warning against attempts to impose a new reality in the city.

The council also denounced the repressive measures taken by the occupation authorities against local and international institutions serving our people in Jerusalem, primarily the "UNRWA" agency, including the demolition of its offices and the removal of its flag from its headquarters in East Jerusalem, a blatant violation of the rights of Palestinian refugees and a deliberate attempt to erase their identity.

The cabinet stressed that the only solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees will be a fair political solution based on international legitimacy resolutions.

In a related matter, the council approved the formation of a national team to follow up on the issue of missing persons, particularly in the Gaza Strip, to ensure action on all fronts to monitor the file, starting work to update the lists of missing persons through the electronic platform of the Ministry of Justice.

As part of the government initiative for the sustainability of local bodies and the development of their capabilities, and improving the quality of services provided to citizens, the Ministry of Local Government, through the Development and Lending Fund for Local Bodies, completed the classification of municipalities according to a formula based on 60% performance, 30% needs, and 10% population criteria, ensuring fair resource distribution and encouraging municipalities to improve their institutional and financial performance. The classification included all municipalities in the West Bank, numbering 138, which provide services to nearly 2.3 million people and serve about 75% of the West Bank population, and an amount of 40 million euros has been allocated to fund developmental projects and priority infrastructure, contributing to improving the level of basic services and promoting sustainable local development in various governorates.

Additionally, the council approved the allocation of land in Ajnasinia - Nablus for the benefit of the Water Authority, for the benefit of the northern Asira town for the purpose of establishing a sewage pumping station.

The council also approved increasing quantities of specialized medicines for kidney dialysis for the facilities of the Ministry of Health and military medical services, in addition to approving a request to purchase and supply radiopharmaceuticals for imaging cancer patients and following up on their treatment at the Palestine Medical Complex.

The council also approved to make arrangements for purchasing land for the project of a treatment plant east of Ramallah to establish a sewage collection and processing system in the villages of the area.

Regarding the preparations for the upcoming Hajj season in light of the new system approved by the cabinet, recommendations were adopted by Hajj committees regarding housing and service tenders after completing the necessary legal procedures to issue tenders through a specialized committee from several government institutions, to ensure the provision of the best services to pilgrims at the lowest possible costs.

The council also approved the renewal of contracts with traffic regulation employees on the Jalazone camp street in Ramallah and Al-Bireh for another year, to alleviate the traffic crisis and facilitate the movement and transport of citizens.

In light of reported cases of foot-and-mouth disease in neighboring countries, the council directed to enhance preparedness to prevent the spread of the disease, continuing to vaccinate livestock and cattle and providing as much as possible of the necessary vaccines.

The council also approved the renewal of working arrangements in government institutions until the end of March next year in light of the continued conditions and field and financial challenges.