Israeli siege paralyses Gaza factories

Palestinian MP Jamal Al-Khodari stated on Friday that 100 per cent of Palestinian factories in Gaza have suffered partial or full damage, resulting from the 12-year-long Israeli siege.

In a statement sent to mass media, including MEMO, Al-Khodari claimed that hundreds of shops and factories have shut down due to the Israeli siege, as well as the repeated aggressions on the besieged enclave.

Al-Khodari, who was an academic and a businessman, explained that the Israeli occupation is still imposing restrictions on Gazan imports and exports, in addition to the entry of industrial materials, under the pretext of dual use.

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The direct losses to Gaza’s economy due to the Israeli siege, according to Al-Khodari, are estimated at $70 million every month, due to aggravating crises relating to the strict Israeli siege.

In a previous press release, the MP – who is head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege on Gaza – affirmed that 3,500 factories had already shutdown, noting that the poverty rate has reached 85 per cent, and unemployment rate exceeded 60 per cent.

He concluded his statement by calling on the world to put pressure on the Israeli occupation, in order to lift the siege, stressing that lifting the siege is the solution to ending the profound suffering of the residents of Gaza.

End Gaza Siege! – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]