Israel allowed cash shipments into the Gaza Strip, but the amount would not be enough to pay salaries for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) employees, sources said on Wednesday.

The sources said millions of Israeli currency Shekels were sent to Gaza banks, adding that the money, which he did not specify exactly, did not meet the demands of the banks to cover the payment of nearly 75,000 public servants paid by the West Bank-based PNA.

On Tuesday, Quartet Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair met new Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who agreed to send US$12 million to the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Islamic Hamas movement. However, the amount was nearly quarter of what the Palestinians have requested.

Last month, the Gaza employees were able to get their salaries by daily installations from the banks in their account but the banks said then it can not pay April wages in the same mechanism due to the shortage of the Israeli currency.

The lack of the banknotes is a result of the Israeli sanctions and blockade, imposed on the territory since Hamas routed security forces of the PNA and seized the coastal strip.

Hamas pays for its employees in cash, depending on money smuggled to its territory through underground tunnels on the Gaza border with Egypt.