Israel expands list of items banned from Gaza

The head of the Popular Committee Against the Israeli Siege on Gaza said on Sunday that the occupation authorities have actually tightened the siege and added more items to the list of goods banned from entering the besieged enclave, Quds Net has reported. Jamal Al-Khodari pointed out that 500 items are now banned from being imported to the Gaza Strip.

“The Israeli occupation is clearly targeting materials which contribute to creating work opportunities and achieving development in Gaza,” said the independent MP. This causes “paralysis” in the industrial sector.

“Since the start of 2017, the Israelis have added 100 new items to the blacklist,” he explained. “This worsens the crises in the economic, healthcare and education sectors, and delays the implementation of projects carried out by the private sector as well as those by Arab and international organisations.”

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Al-Khodari told the media that the Israeli occupation interferes in “every single aspect of life” in the Gaza Strip through its control of all of the crossings into and out of the territory. All are closed completely, apart from Kerem Shalom for goods and Erez for people; they are only open partially, though. This, he added, doubles the suffering of the Palestinians who need to travel, including students and hospital patients.

The MP ended his press release by saying that more than 5,000 economic ventures in Gaza have reduced their workforce due to the siege. Gaza has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.