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Here Is Concrete Proof the Palestinian Authority Is Continuing ‘Pay-for-Slay’ to Terrorists
European foreign ministers talk over lunch at the offices of the honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany in Geneva, Switzerland June 20, 2025, before meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS
Despite the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s ongoing claims that it has stopped rewarding imprisoned terrorists and the families of “Martyrs,” Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) can report that on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 10:00 AM, the PA post offices paid terrorists’ salaries and stipends to families of terrorist “Martyrs.”
Because the PA has told the donor countries that it stopped the Pay-for-Slay program, the PA made no official announcements and it delayed the payments so that everyone, even the terrorists’ families, would think that the program had ended.
On Saturday, however, the PA did pay the salaries.
This was one of the conversations between “Pay-for-Slay” recipients on social media following the payment:
Good evening, everyone, for those whose salaries are above 5,000 [shekels], how much did they send you today as a percentage of the payment?
[Answer 1]: “3,000.”
[Answer 2]: “50% of the salaries and [those making less than 2,000 received] the full amount. FYI, the salary is for June.”
The 50% payment is the same percentage the PA had paid all its employees earlier this month. Due to its financial crisis, since 2019, the PA has not paid full salaries to its employees.
This payment did not come as quickly or as easily for the terrorists’ families as it usually does. The long delay in paying the salaries likely occurred because many donor countries are waiting every month to see if the PA would stick to its promises and would stop rewarding terror.
Here is the timeline for a rollercoaster two weeks in the PA areas:
Sun Oct. 12
PA pays salaries to its employees. As stated, due to the financial crisis, the PA paid only 50% of the employees’ salaries, with a minimum of 2,000 shekels. The salaries are for July — two months late.
Mon Oct. 13
Families of “Martyrs” and terrorist prisoners expect and are waiting for salaries, which are usually paid in the post offices the following day, but there is no announcement.
Tues-Wed Oct. 14 -15
Families of terrorists start criticizing the PA.
Thurs Oct. 16
Families of “Martyrs” in Jordan and Syria receive their monthly payments.
The PA is silent about payments to terrorists’ families in the PA areas.
Mon Oct. 20
Small demonstrations are held against the PA in Ramallah by families of terrorists. One threatens violence: “Either we live with honor, or we die with honor.”
Tues Oct. 21
Demonstrations are held in all major cities against the PA.
Wed Oct. 22
Families of “Martyrs” in Lebanon receive their monthly payments.
The PA’s silence through official sources creates the impression that it stopped “Pay-for-Slay” and many Palestinians assume the program has ceased. One demands payment: “It’s either us or us” — meaning the PA has no choice but to pay them.
Thurs Oct. 23
Post office workers tell people unofficially that salaries will be paid on Saturday: “Salaries will be paid but there will be no official announcement.” Even though post offices are usually closed on Saturday, the PA will send special staff.
Fri October 24
11:23 AM: An announcement is issued quoting a private message by a Commission of Prisoners official, who would not make a public announcement himself: “Good morning. Tomorrow, Saturday, the prisoners’ salaries will be paid at the post office after 10:00 AM. Employees of the Prisoners’ Affairs Authority will also be on duty to facilitate the distribution of salaries. Have a blessed Friday.”
2:35 PM: A second report quoting an official in the PA-funded Prisoners’ Club is issued: “Salaries of families of Martyrs, injured, and prisoners will be paid tomorrow Saturday in the post offices.”
Sat Oct. 25
8:12 AM: First reports that salaries are paid. “The salaries of the prisoners, the wounded, and the Martyrs have arrived at the post office” [Qabatiya Around the Clock, Telegram channel, Oct. 25, 2025].
During the day, all salaries are paid as usual in all the post offices. Families report that they were paid 50% of full salary, just like the employees.
PMW comment
The remaining 50% is not canceled but is owed. The PA has pledged that when it has enough money, it will pay back all employees and terrorist prisoners. The monthly PA pay slips include a column showing the amount owed to the employee.
The Palestinian Authority could not publicly announce that it was paying the salaries, since it had already deceived donor countries by claiming on September 1, 2025, that the program had officially ended.
On September 25, 2025, the French Foreign Ministry announced that it believed the PA’s claim: “We welcome the reforms already underway by the PA, including: The abrogation of the prisoners’ payment system, that is now effective.” [emphasis added]
The PA’s silence may also have been an attempt to trigger anti-PA demonstrations so they could claim to the donors that they stopped the program.
The EU, on June 23, 2025, pledged €150 million to the PA to help it pay salaries.
€150 million have been allocated to support the Palestinian Authority in ensuring the delivery of key public services, including the payment of salaries of teachers, civil servants, and healthcare workers. The financial support is linked to the implementation of the reform agenda.
[EU Commission for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf]
Given the fungible nature of funding to the PA, when that pledge is paid by the EU, the PA will simply use it to pay the EU-acceptable salaries and will then have enough non-EU money left to pay terrorists their backpay.
If the EU wants to stop being a terror facilitator, Palestinian Media Watch urges the EU to suspend the transfer of all payments until the PA stops funding terror.
The PA pays terrorists more than $30 million/month based on its last published budget, which was before the Gaza War. Since then, the number of terrorist prisoners has more than doubled from 4,500 to 9,100, and there are thousands of new families of terrorist “Martyrs.”
The PA is waiting anxiously for that European money to cover its EU-acceptable expenses, so it has enough money to pay these terror rewards as soon as possible. The EU, which has staked its diplomatic reputation on the PA’s fraudulent claims of ending Pay-for-Slay, must now stand firm as long as the PA continues rewarding terrorists.
The author is the Founder and Director of Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article first appeared.
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Katz: ‘Israel’s Goal in Lebanon is to Disarm Hezbollah’
Then-Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 17, 2019. Katz currently serves as the foreign minister. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz held a situation assessment Friday with senior military and defense officials, reiterating that the country’s policy in Lebanon remains focused on disarming Hezbollah by military and political means. Katz emphasized that the goal applies “regardless of the Iran issue” and pledged continued protection for Israeli northern communities.
Katz said the Israel Defense Forces are completing ground maneuvers up to the anti-tank line to prevent direct threats to border towns. He outlined plans to demolish houses in villages near the border that serve as Hezbollah outposts, citing previous operations in Rafah and Khan Yunis in Gaza as models.
The Defense Minister added that the IDF will maintain security control over the Litani area and that the return of 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who had evacuated north will not be permitted until northern communities’ safety is ensured. Katz also reaffirmed that the IDF will continue targeting Hezbollah leaders and operatives across Lebanon, noting that 1,000 terrorists have already been eliminated since the start of the current campaign.
“We promised security to the northern towns, and that is exactly what we will do,” Katz said. He further warned that the IDF will act decisively against rocket fire from Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah “will pay heavy prices.”
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Pope Leo Urges Israel’s Herzog to End Iran War in Phone Call, Vatican Says
Pope Leo XIV delivers a homily during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, March 29, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Pope Leo spoke on the phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday and urged him to “reopen all paths of dialogue” to end the Iran war, the Vatican said.
The pope, who has emerged as a sharp critic of the regional conflict, also urged Herzog to protect civilians and promote respect for international and humanitarian law, the Vatican added.
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Iran Leaders Join Crowds on Tehran’s Streets to Project Control in Wartime
Iranians gather at a park on Nature Day, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 2, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran’s leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control – with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic.
In recent days, Iran’s president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.
According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at “obliterating” it.
One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Republic is “unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant” as the war grinds on.
The US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 with the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders in waves of strikes that have since continued to target top officials.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel’s hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistan, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.
Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, as Tehran brands US peace proposals “unrealistic.” Against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.
A senior Iranian source said officials’ public presence demonstrates that “the establishment is not intimidated by Israel’s targeted killing of top Iranian figures.”
Asked whether Iran’s foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, an Israeli military spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, said on Friday he would not “speak about specific personnel.”
NIGHTLY RALLIES TO SHOW RESILIENCE
Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Gulf countries hosting US troops and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities. Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks were in store.
Encouraged by clerical rulers, supporters of the Islamic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even as bombs rain down across the country.
Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the “political and reputational” cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.
Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.
“The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly,” Memarian said.
Speaking to state television, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran’s leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.
Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any assassination attempts.
“By being in the middle of large crowds they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide,” he said.
POTENTIAL PROTESTERS STAY OFF STREETS AT NIGHT
The Islamic Republic emerged from a 1979 revolution backed by millions of Iranians. But decades of rule marked by corruption, repression and mismanagement have thinned that support, alienating many ordinary people.
While there has been little sign so far of anti-government protests that erupted in January and abated after a deadly crackdown, the establishment has adopted harsh measures – such as arrests, executions and large-scale deployment of security forces – to prevent any sparks of dissent.
Rights groups have warned about “rushed executions” during wartime after Iran hanged at least seven political prisoners during the war.
“Many potential protesters are frightened by the continuing presence of armed men and violent crowds in the streets and largely stay at home once darkness falls,” Ghaemi said.