JEDDAH: Thousands of Palestinians from Gaza returned to work in Israel and the occupied West Bank on Thursday when border crossings reopened after a two-week closure.
A Palestinian official said Israel had reopened the border “at the request of mediators to de-escalate tensions.” The move comes amid increased international efforts by Egypt and the UN to defuse tensions and prevent a new round of armed conflict in Gaza.
For the past two weeks, Palestinian protesters throwing stones and explosive devices faced off against Israeli troops who responded with live fire. Seven Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured by Israeli violence. Israel said security assessments would determine whether the border remained open.
Crowds of Palestinians waited at the Erez pedestrian crossing complex from the early hours on Thursday, including many who had spent the night there. “We learned at midnight that the crossing would open today, and I have been waiting here since one in the morning,” said Awni Abu Oda, who works in Tel Aviv.
Khaled Zurub, 57, who works in construction in Israel, said: “We want to go to work and earn a living for our children because the situation was too bad for us the past two weeks.”
Others expressed relief at the reopening of the crossing. “I’m very happy that the crossing is open. We have nothing to do with this problem,” said Ayman Al-Rifi, who works at a restaurant in the Israeli coastal city of Jaffa. “I hope workers stay out of these problems because we suffer if Erez is closed.”
About 18,000 Gazans have permits from Israeli authorities to work outside the blockaded enclave, injecting about $2 million a day to the impoverished territory’s economy.
