Gaza, February 07 (QNA) - Palestinian trade unionists and economists welcomed Qatar's ratification of the agreement regulating the employment of Palestinian workers in the country, describing it as an important step that strengthens bilateral cooperation.

They noted that it comes within a long-standing framework of economic, developmental, and humanitarian interventions through which Qatar has supported the Palestinian economy and society.

Qatar ratified a bilateral agreement with the Palestinian government to regulate the employment of Palestinian workers in the Qatari labor market, under Amiri Decree No. (3) of 2026. The agreement was signed in Doha on 27 May 2025.

Chairman of the General Union of Workers' Syndicates in Gaza Sami Al Amssi praised the ratification of the bilateral agreement, saying that Qatar's recruitment of Palestinian workers will help alleviate unemployment and improve living conditions for jobless workers, especially following two years of the Israeli war on Gaza, which devastated the Palestinian economy.

Al Amssi told QNA that over the past years, Qatar has contributed to mitigating the effects of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, through the monthly Qatari grant, paving main streets, developing infrastructure and various service facilities, as well as building Hamad City, hospitals, clinics, sports fields, and cultural and educational institutions.

He pointed out that Qatar's ratification of the agreement comes as the Israeli war left about 400,000 workers in Gaza unemployed, in addition to unprecedentedly high unemployment rates, extreme poverty, food insecurity, and paralysis of economic and industrial sectors, including metal workshops, after the destruction of most productive sectors across all fields.

Al Amssi stressed that Palestinian workers, particularly in Gaza, urgently need such agreements to secure employment during these difficult times faced by the Palestinian people.

The union leader also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the wise Qatari leadership for this decision, affirming that it reflects the deep fraternal relations between the two peoples and underscores Qatar's ongoing commitment to supporting the Palestinian people, especially in economic, social, and humanitarian fields.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Abu Qamar, an economic expert, stated that Qatar's role in supporting Gaza and the Palestinian economy is pivotal and cumulative, not linked to a temporary circumstance, but rather part of a long-standing series of economic, developmental, and humanitarian interventions that helped mitigate the impacts of the blockade and successive wars.

In his remarks to QNA, Abu Qamar noted that the agreement to recruit Palestinian workers to work in Qatar represents a natural extension of this role and reflects a practical commitment to supporting the resilience of Palestinians during one of the most sensitive periods for the Palestinian economy.

He stressed that Qatar's support for the Palestinian economy, whether in rehabilitating the labor market or contributing to Gaza's reconstruction, is not new but rather a continuation of previous efforts. Qatar was among the first countries to contribute practically to rebuilding large areas of Gaza, including infrastructure projects and residential towers across different areas.

Abu Qamar added that Qatar played a prominent role during the years of the blockade, whether through the Qatari grant or through multiple developmental projects that helped reduce unemployment, increase income levels, and improve Gaza's infrastructure, which had suffered extensive collapse during periods of blockade and wars.

The economic expert noted that the timing of this agreement is highly significant, given the near-complete collapse of the labor market in Gaza, especially after more than two years of the war, where unemployment rates exceeded 80 percent, while labor force participation did not exceed 33 percent, reflecting a sharp decline even in the number of job seekers.

Regarding the impact of this agreement on the Palestinian economic situation, he believes that opening opportunities for Palestinian labor to work in Qatar or other foreign labor markets constitutes a necessary economic response during a highly sensitive stage, with multiple positive effects, primarily reducing high unemployment rates and increasing income levels, which in turn helps alleviate poverty among workers' families, particularly in Gaza.

He added that this step will positively affect the Palestinian gross national product, a key indicator of economic performance, which in turn impacts the overall Palestinian economy.

Abu Qamar emphasized that attracting labor from Gaza to a market with strong economic and developmental capacity, such as Qatar, classified globally among countries with high soft power, will provide workers with opportunities to gain specialized experience that can later be transferred to the Palestinian market, especially during the expected reconstruction phase, ensuring optimal investment of Palestinian human resources.

He pointed out that the Palestinian economy, especially in Gaza, suffers from unprecedented contraction due to the war, with the GDP contracting by over 83 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year, rising to around 87 percent in 2025, reflecting the severity of the economic deterioration.

He confirmed that exporting Palestinian labor abroad will help alleviate this contraction by reducing unemployment, increasing income, and enhancing the purchasing power of citizens, thereby mitigating the decline in GDP.

The Palestinian economy, particularly in Gaza, has been in complete collapse due to Israel's systematic policies during two years of war, which destroyed industrial facilities, factories, companies, and commercial stores, imposed a strict blockade, and prevented the entry of commercial and industrial materials, halting work and turning thousands of workers into an army of unemployment. (QNA)