Jamal al-Khudari the head of the Popular Committee against the Siege said on Monday that more than 500 economic facilities trimmed their business in Gaza due to the blockade and the Israeli policy pursued at the crossings and against merchants while a quarter million workers are currently unemployed.
Khudari affirmed in a press statement that several economic facilities were closed either partially or completely because of the blockade extending for more than ten years and the Israeli restrictions imposed on the Gaza economy including the partial opening of the only crossing available banning hundreds of types of goods and raw materials and harassing merchants and preventing them from working freely.
He stressed that Israel prevents the entry of more than 400 items that are selected according to a deliberate plan to ensure halting important industries and affecting key sectors to further the suffering of the Gaza Strip inhabitants.
He emphasized that this ban has hampered the work of various factories and facilities and contributed to increased rates of unemployment and poverty adding that unemployment exceeded 50% while 80% of Gaza’s residents are living below the poverty line with a million and half a million Gazans living on insufficient aid.
Khudari pointed out that Israel withdrew 2000 permits and passage cards from merchants and businessmen in Gaza in 2016 according to competent authorities.
He explained meanwhile that the high rate of unemployment resulted from the restrictions Israel imposes on the entry of construction materials and other goods essential for the projects of the private sector Arab and international projects in Gaza infrastructure projects as well as the reconstruction activities in Gaza. 50% of the buildings that were entirely demolished in the 2014 war on Gaza have not been reconstructed so far.
Khudari called on the international community to pressure Israel who violates the international law by imposing such illegal immoral and inhumane blockade on the Gaza Strip to end the siege completely open the crossings and ensure free access to raw materials and other needed goods.
He underlined that the Gaza Strip has cadres engineers businessmen technicians and merchants that are capable of achieving development but all sectors are besieged and need the freedom of movement import and export.
