'Israeli policies ruining what’s left of Gaza’s economy'

Israeli policies hindering the movement of goods in and out of the Gaza Strip are destroying what’s left of Gaza’s economy, Quds Press reported the Palestinian Businessmen’s Association warning on Monday.

In a statement, the head of the association Ali Al-Hayik said: “The Israeli side causes much and consecutive losses for Gaza’s businessmen and traders to the point that negatively affects the already dilapidated economy due to the ten-year-old siege.”

The Israeli occupation “paralyses” the commercial cycle by blocking goods or returning them to Israeli seaports.

“This causes many losses because the traders are obliged to pay a lot of money to store their goods in Israeli facilities,” he said. “Sometimes, the goods are allowed to enter Gaza after their expiry dates.”

Al-Hayik reiterated that the Israeli occupation policies have contributed to a dramatic decline in the productivity of Gaza’s economy, including the industrial, commercial and service sectors, noting that this increases unemployment rates and poverty.

He added that the Israeli occupation authorities arrest Gaza businessmen or revoke their travel permits when they pass through the Erez crossing, noting that 1,509 permits had been revoked since the start of 2016 and 20 businessmen were arrested, 15 were later released and five are still being held.

The Kerem Shalom commercial crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip is not operating full time or with full capacity and this causes delays in the entry of goods, Al-Hayik explained.