Gaza trade union demands an increase of permits for Palestinians to work in Israel

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian labor group in Gaza urged international mediators to exert pressure on Israel to increase work permits to allow more Palestinians from the enclave to work in Israel.

The demand was made during a demonstration organized by the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) near the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing in northern Gaza.

Sami al-Amassi, head of the GFTU, wants the permits to be increased to 30,000.

The Ministry of Labor in Gaza said Israel has given work permits to nearly 18,500 workers from Gaza since October 2021.

The Israeli military reopened the Erez crossing for workers from Gaza on Thursday to allow them to get to work sites in Israel and the West Bank. The crossing has been closed since Sept. 17 under a security assessment situation in Gaza.

Al-Amassi noted that Israel's policies toward Gaza "deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through denying entry of goods, medicines, and medical and relief delegations.”

The enclave has been suffering under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007 that has deprived roughly 2.3 million residents of vital commodities, including food, fuel and medicine.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar​​​​​​​