Jerusalem, February 3, 2026 – The Palestinian Authority (PA) continued in 2025 with its controversial system of payments to terrorists and their families known as “pay-for-slay,” allocating at least $200 million to these compensations, according to a confidential U.S. State Department report directed to the U.S. Congress. The amount of the payments is adjusted according to the severity of the crime and the length of the prison sentence, which has generated accusations that these allocations not only support the beneficiaries but also act as an economic incentive for future terrorist acts. The continuity of these payments in 2025 contradicts the statement made in February of that year by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who announced the supposed elimination of the terrorism payments policy and its replacement with a social assistance system based on needs, rather than on the type of crime or years of imprisonment. Available figures indicate that in 2024 the total payment to prisoners and families of terrorists amounted to around $144 million, a figure that would have increased in 2025 to exceed $214 million. The compensations are part of the so-called “Martyrs Fund,” a historical regime that grants monthly stipends to people convicted of terrorism and to families of “martyrs” killed in attacks. However, the analysis of the State Department concludes that, despite the change in denomination and administrative structure, the payments continued to function with the same logic as the previous system. According to the notification presented to the U.S. Congress, the PA would have transferred those funds between March and August 2025, including the use of post offices, messaging platforms, and social networks to inform beneficiaries of the availability of payments, suggesting an organized operation with the knowledge of the authorities in Ramallah. The policy of payments for terrorism is the subject of strong criticism from Israel and sectors of the U.S. government. Even so, the presence of high-ranking PA officials in post-war administration committees suggests that Ramallah could retain indirect influence on reconstruction and governance issues in the Gaza Strip, despite formal restrictions.
