Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund
| Predecessor | Palestine Mujahidin and Martyrs Fund, Society for the Care of Palestinian Martyrs and Prisoners |
|---|---|
| Type | Fund |
| Purpose | Financial support to the families of Palestinians killed, injured, or imprisoned for violence against Israel; payments to Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails |
Parent organization | Palestinian Authority |
The Palestinian Authority Martyrs Fund is a financial program operated by the Palestinian Authority (PA). It operates through two main channels: The Foundation for the Care of the Families of Martyrs that provides monthly financial support to the families of Palestinians who were killed, injured, or detained in connection with acts of violence against Israelis; and the Prisoners Fund that delivers payments to Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons. As of 2018, the stipends amounted to $330 million, or 7% of the PA's annual budget.
Critics often call the fund "pay for slay" and blame the payments for "encouraging terrorism". In 2007, the World Bank argued that the fund did "not seem justified from a welfare or fiscal perspective."
By 2014, mounting criticism of the payments led to the PA transferring management of the Martyrs Fund to the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which now disburses the government-funding to recipients and their families. On 10 February 2025, PA president Mahmoud Abbas signed a decree to end the Martyrs Fund to provide stipends based on financial need.