GAZA September 08. 2023 (Saba) - The crime of the Zionist blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for 17 years, is once again attributable to the confrontation. Last Tuesday, the enemy entity decided to close the Karam Abu Salem crossing until further notice, the only commercial outlet through which the occupation permits the import and export of goods, thus increasing citizens' suffering to catastrophic levels.
The enemy entity alleges that the closure of the only crossing of goods came after the Palestinian resistance attempted to export explosive materials from the Gaza Strip to the occupied bank through a shipment of clothing, which the Palestinians considered to be misleading and false, aimed at undermining their resilience and breaking their will, through the destruction of commercial sectors, especially agriculture and industry.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture of Gaza M. Muhammad Abu `Oda said: "The agricultural sector is the hardest hit among other sectors, due to the Zionist unjust decision against farmers and the right of all Palestinian people, which is to prevent the marketing and export of agricultural and industrial products.
Abu `Oda stated in a special statement to Yemen News Agency (SABA) that agricultural exports accounted for about 85 per cent of all exports. The loss of the agricultural sector at this time amounted to about NIS 1 million.
Abu `Oda stressed that 60 thousand Palestinian families working in the sector were directly affected by the decision to halt marketing and exports of West Bank cities and occupied territories in 1948, which would exacerbate the economic and humanitarian crisis.
In turn, Basil Saleh, director of a garment knitting factory in the Gaza Strip, stated that "the damage is very difficult for his factory and staff, as the conditions of the Gaza Strip are harsh and the consequences of this decision will be catastrophic."
Saleh told Yemen News Agency (SABA): "We are working in the field of knitting clothes and there are 12 a thousand to 15 workers in this field who will stop working and return to their children without their daily sustenance or any source of income."
Saleh stated that the company he manages is currently suffering very significant losses because it has reduced the level of work and achievement, and cannot commit to contracts with merchants.
He continued: "This will require us to pay substantial sums as a punitive condition."
Saleh said he would have to stop the company and lay off all its employees within two to three days, if the crossing remained closed. He stressed that he could not afford to do so.
Director General of Studies and Development at the Ministry of National Economy in Gaza, Dr. Osama Nofal said that the closure of the Karam Abu Salem commercial crossing to export and import movements had a negative impact on all economic sectors, stating that the Gaza Strip incurred losses of about half a million dollars a day directly and indirect losses exceeding that figure.
Nofal said that the occupation has for several years prevented many of the raw materials needed for industry from entering the Gaza Strip through the Karam Abu Salem crossing, further aggravating the economic and financial conditions of factories, and negatively affecting the work of thousands of workers.
E.M
resource : Saba
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