Israeli minister Katz orders seizure of PA funds for former Palestinian prisoners

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the confiscation of Palestinian Authority funds designated for released prisoners.

The funds are payments made to Palestinian prisoners serving prison sentences, as well as those released and their families.

The defence ministry also said that 470 million shekels ($130m) of the funds intended for transfer to the Palestinian Authority were blocked and it will instead be transferred to Israelis directly affected by the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023.

The announcement came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on 10 February issued a decree overturning a system of payments to the families of Palestinians imprisoned or killed by Israeli forces - a longstanding source of friction with the United States.