GAZA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Pro-Hamas Palestinian militant groups warned local banks on Sunday against delaying paychecks to government employees.

    The groups including the leftist Popular Resistance Committees and Hamas' armed wing Izzedein al-Qassam Brigades said in a joint statement, "Banks should serve our people's interests or they have to be shut down."

    "It's natural that the Zionists and the Americans are fighting us, but what's not natural is that our national institutions become a tool to repress our people," the statement added.

    The militants' warning came after local Palestinian banks denied on Saturday night that they had been informed by the Hamas-led government to deliver salaries or advanced allowances to government employees.

    Finance Minister and senior Hamas member Omar Abdel Razeq announced on Saturday that 40,000 civil servants would be paid one month's salary on Monday.

    Earlier, Prime Minister and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haneya ordered the Finance Ministry to pay one month's salary to the government employees who earn less than 350 U.S. dollars and advance allowances to those who earn more than 350 dollars.

    Haneya, however, did not reveal where the money came from. After Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, took power in late March, key Western donors including the United States and the European Union cut off direct aid to the Palestinians since Hamas refuses to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and honor previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements.

    Israel also halted the monthly transfer of about 55 million dollars of tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians since Hamas' sweeping victory in the January Palestinian legislative elections.

    The Hamas government has been unable to pay civil servants since March due to the stop of aid flow and tax incomes. Hamas has declared in the past that it has succeeded in garnering enough aid from Arab and Islamic countries to pay salaries, but the transfer of the money was blocked due to reluctance of banks to deal with the Hamas government out of fear for possible U.S. sanctions and lawsuits.

    The EU and the U.S. are currently considering a new mechanism to give some humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, but the money is not expected to foot the Palestinian government salary bill. Enditem