RAMALLAH, West Bank (VINnews) — The General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions, backed by international labor organizations, has filed a complaint with the International Labour Organization seeking roughly $9 billion in compensation from Israel for Palestinian workers who lost their jobs following the outbreak of hostilities on Oct. 7, 2023, Arutz 7 reported, citing Arab media.

The complaint focuses on workers’ rights to wages and social protections under international conventions, citing an estimated 225,000 Palestinians who had been employed in Israel and have been unable to work since the conflict began. The union called the job losses a “substantial blow” to the Palestinian economy.

Shaher Saad, secretary‑general of the Palestinian workers’ union, told Al‑Araby Al‑Jadeed, that the Palestinian Authority is struggling to provide economic support or pay its own employees. He said wages earned by Palestinian workers in Israel previously totaled about 1.35 billion shekels ($360 million) per month — more than the combined government and private sector wages in the Palestinian territories.

The union said the $9 billion figure represents direct wage losses and unpaid social benefits accumulated over months of labor disruption, and asked the ILO to protect workers’ rights under binding international labor standards.

The ILO has documented rising unemployment in the Palestinian territories amid ongoing conflict, though it has not commented on the compensation claim. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.