"There was probably another reason," the source said. "Money was
smuggled to the Gaza Strip, probably through visitors."
After a shortage of nearly a year, Hamas has also managed to bring in
millions of dollars in U.S. and Jordanian currency. The source said the
European Union helped ensure that Gaza banks were supplied with currency
other than the Israeli shekel.
"There was a cash flow problem and it has ended," a Hamas source said.
The sources said the salaries began being paid to Hamas government
employees on June 6. They said the Palestinian National Bank in Gaza City
has been processing the salaries.
Since February 2010, Hamas had been unable to pay full salaries to
employees, including Cabinet ministers. The sources said civil servants
received between 1,000 and 1,500 Israeli shekels, or $270 to $400 per month.
Hamas has also sought to defuse its housing crisis in the southern Gaza
Strip in wake of the demolition of more than 30 unlicensed structures in
May. Officials said the government would construct housing units on public
land around the city of Rafah.
"We advise all Gaza residents not to buy any land offered for sale by
illegal dealers," Hamas Planning Minister Mohammed Awad said on June 6. "A
portion of public land in Gaza is being traded through illegal contacts from
one citizen to another in an endless circle."