The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) canceled about 2000 permits issued for the travel of Gazan merchants and businessmen through the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing between January 2016 and February 2017.
According to the Palestinian chamber of commerce and industry in the Gaza Strip the IOA has prevented about 200 companies in Gaza from being involved in foreign trade.
In a news conference on Saturday senior official of the chamber Maher Attaba stated that these companies became unable to import products and raw materials from abroad and the production capacity of several factories sharply declined.
Attaba accused the IOA of seeking to tighten the blockade on Gaza and destroy its economy.
