Israel announces plan to boost Gaza work permits

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israel said on Friday it plans to grant more work permits to Palestinians in blockaded Gaza, reviving a pledge made ahead of a visit by US President Joe Biden but later scrapped.

A further 1,500 people from the impoverished and overcrowded Gaza Strip would be allowed to work in Israel from Sunday, the military said in a statement. "The decision will take effect... on condition that the security situation remains quiet in the area," said COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.

The move to boost to 15,500 the total number of work permits was initially announced on July 12, on the eve of Biden’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. But it was scrapped four days later, in the wake of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and retaliatory strikes by Israeli warplanes.

The work permits provide vital income to some of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, who have been living under a strict blockade imposed by Israel since the Islamist movement Hamas seized power in 2007.

Friday’s announcement follows three days of fighting this month between Islamic Jihad militants and Israel. At least 49 Gazans were killed and hundreds wounded, according to figures from the enclave’s health ministry. The plan to issue additional permits follows a decision by Hamas largely to stay out of the recent fighting.