Agencies-Gaza post
Israel officially opens Gaza border crossing for Palestinian workers
Israel on Sunday reopened the Gaza Strip’s only crossing for Palestinian laborers, over two weeks after closing it due to protests, according to the Defense Ministry.
On Sunday, the Erez crossing, which was used by 12,000 Palestinians with work permits to enter Israel, reopened.
“Following an evaluation of the security situation, it has been determined… to open Erez border for passage of employees and permit holders from the Gaza Strip into Israel, commencing Sunday,” Cogat, an Israeli Defense Ministry body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, said, according to AFP.
On May 3, Israel closed the border in preparation for Israel’s national memorial and independence days.
The closure followed violence in the occupied West Bank, despite relative calm on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli authorities expected that tensions and violence in and around Jerusalem during Ramadan in April might spark a new conflict with Gaza, but this did not happen.
According to a recent World Bank estimate, the unemployment rate in Gaza, a Palestinian region with a population of over 2.3 million people, is nearly 48%, with jobs in Israel serving as a key lifeline for the enclave’s economy.
