Gaza Crossings’ Operations Status: Monthly Update (May 2016) – OCHA Factsheet

BACKGROUND 

Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza have undermined the living conditions of 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza. Many of the current restrictions, originally imposed by Israel in the early 1990s, were intensified after June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the imposition of a blockade. These restrictions have reduced access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupted family life, and undermined people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future. The situation has been compounded by the restrictions imposed since June 2013 by the Egyptian authorities at Rafah Crossing, which had become the main crossing point used by Palestinian passengers in the Gaza Strip, given the above restrictions on the Israeli- controlled crossings.

EREZ CROSSING

• .In May, Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was open for 27 out of 27 scheduled days.

•  The number of crossings during May was around the monthly average recorded since the beginning of 2016.

•  The crossing is accessible only to Israeli-issued permit holders, primarily medical and other humanitarian cases, merchants, and aid workers.

RAFAH CROSSING

• Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened on two out of 31 scheduled days during May 2016.

• The crossing has been closed since 24 October 2014, except for 44 days.

• There are at least 30,000 Palestinians registered and waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah, including approximately 9,500 medical cases and 2,700 students.

• Prior to the closure, a monthly average of 4,000 people crossed Rafah for health-related reasons.

EXIT OF GOODS

• Kerem Shalom crossing between Gaza and Israel operated for exiting goods on 20 out of 27 scheduled days, but for daytime hours only.

• 166 truckloads of goods exited Gaza, a 42% decrease compared to January 2016. Trucks exited to the following destinations:

• 62 truckloads of agricultural products, furniture and clothing to the West Bank;

• 59 truckloads of agricultural products, furniture and scrap metal/aluminum to Israel;

• 45 truckloads of agricultural products to international markets.

ENTRY OF GOODS

• Kerem Shalom operated on 21 out of 27* scheduled days, allowing the entry of 9,241 truckloads of goods. Closed for one day due to Jewish holiday.

• The volume of imports this month increased by 7%, compared to the monthly average since the beginning of 2016.

• Rafah commercial crossing opened on two days, allowing 150 truckloads of construction materials to enter Gaza.

• On 23 May, Israeli authorities lifted the ban on the entry of cement for the private sector in Gaza, imposed since 03 April.

• 18% of the truckloads that entered in May were designated for humanitarian aid agencies.

• 5,207 of the truckloads carried construction materials,
constituting the largest category of imports (50%). These included 1,012 truckloads of materials entered via the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), defined by Israel as 'dual use' items.

• Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings with Israel remained closed.

* Kerem Shalom crossing is open Sunday – Friday.

* Primarily includes cement and steel bars, aggregates removed from dual use materials list in 2015.

**The GRM is a temporary agreement between the Government of Palestine and the Government of Israel, brokered by the United Nations in September 2014, to allow the entry of dual use items, including building materials for repairs and reconstruction of private housing and infrastructure damaged or destroyed during the hostilities, as well as new projects not related to damages during hostilities. Prior to the GRM the import of construction material was limited to international organizations following a lengthy approval procedure, but not for the private sector or shelter self-help programs.

FUEL IMPORTS

Kerem Shalom remained the only crossing available for the import of fuel, allowing the entry of:

• 19.6 million litres of petrol & diesel.

• 6.4 million litres of industrial fuel for the Gaza Power Plant.

• 6,003 tons of cooking gas, which represents around 80% of the estimated needs of around 7,500 tons, according to the Gas Station Owners' Association (Dec 2014 estimate).