The Palestinian Authority (PA) refused to allow the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip via Rafah crossing for the 3rd day in a row claiming that the crossing is not ready to receive them.
Director General of Planning and Policy at the Palestinian Ministry of Economy Osama Nofal on Monday told the PIC that the PA still prevents the entry of building materials cement wood and paint into Gaza.
Nofal explained that the PA justifies this ban by claiming that the crossing is not ready enough to examine these items which he categorically denied.
Nofal affirmed that over the past eight years these goods have been brought into Gaza via Rafah crossing as humanitarian aid without being examined.
He added that the PA wants to run the crossing in accordance with the 2005 agreement which bans the entry of such items noting that the PA plans to impose taxes on these goods that originally come as tax-free humanitarian aid.
The Palestinian official warned that these goods might be damaged if not allowed into Gaza as soon as possible stressing that preventing their entry will deprive the Gaza Strip from real reconstruction opportunities which are already constrained by international and Israeli restrictions.
