Israel limits imports to Gaza

Israeli authorities reduced the number of trucks of goods allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip through the Karam Abu Salem crossing today.

The Palestinian authority for border crossings said that Israeli authorities informed it that only 250 trucks carrying goods and 90 trucks carrying cement would be allowed to enter Gaza through the crossing, which is also known as Kerem Shalom, today.

The Palestinian coordination committee for the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip said that around 70 trucks would be denied access into Gaza in accordance with the Israeli decision.

The committee called the Israeli decision an attempt to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip, adding that 600 trucks of goods were needed daily to meet the enclave’s needs.

However, a spokesperson for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli agency responsible for implementing Israeli policies in the Palestinian territory, told Ma’an that the number of trucks allowed through was only limited “in order to avoid overcrowding at the Kerem Shalom crossing and creating disorder in its operations,” and would return to normal in coming days.

“Contrary to the claims, the decision was taken for professional reasons only and we regret that Palestinian media distorted the facts on this matter,” the spokesperson added.

Kerem Shalom is one of two operating Israeli crossings out of the blockaded coastal enclave, dedicated primarily to the movement of goods and the only crossing available for the import of fuel.

Pedestrians moving in and out of the Gaza Strip travel through the Erez crossing, which is closed to the majority of the Gaza’s Palestinian residents.