The private sector in the Gaza Strip announced unilaterally Jan. 28 to cease the coordination of the entrance of goods through the Karem Abu Salem crossing for one day, on Feb. 6. The crossing was practically shut down on that day because Palestinian traders and businesses in Gaza refused to receive incoming goods. This move is intended to protest the sharply deteriorating economic conditions in Gaza, especially in recent months.

Businesses in Gaza are forced to shut down due to the extremely low purchasing power of its customers, as a result of the Israeli blockade since 2007, which rendered Gaza’s economy virtually dead and stagnant, and three Israeli wars on Gaza, along with the imposed punitive measures by President Mahmoud Abbas against the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to give up power. After all, how will there be purchasing power in a place where the unemployment rate stands at 43.9% and where 58% of young people are unemployed.

In a similar move, the private sector declared Jan. 22 a general strike for one day (Jan. 22) to protest the worsening economic crisis that is disastrously reaching Gaza society on all levels.

Raed Fattouh, the chairman of the coordination committee for the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip, told Al-Monitor, “The number of trucks entering through Karem Abu Salem has declined sharply in recent months. In the past, the number used to be between 800 and 1,000 trucks a day — now it is 300 to 350 a day. All of this is due to the low purchasing power of Gazans.”