Expect trade activity boost between Egypt, Gaza Strip
Egypt and Hamas are exploring trade options, including a new border crossing, that would skirt Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Egypt tentatively plans to build a commercial crossing that would eliminate the Gaza Strip's need for such trade with Israel and bypass the Palestinian Authority (PA), according to Hamas.
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar revealed the plan in a TV interview Jan. 11 on Al Jazeera, saying such a crossing would liberate Gaza from the need to "trade with the Israeli occupation or with anyone else."
The report follows a Jan. 10 meeting between Ayman Abed, undersecretary of the Hamas-run Ministry of Economy in Gaza, and a delegation from Multitrade-Cairo, an import-export company.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Abed said the meeting touched on the basic needs of the Gaza Strip, including construction materials from Egypt. He said that Gaza imported goods worth about $10 million from Egypt during 2018, adding that his ministry is ready to expand the trade volume. “We hope Egypt would assume the task of upgrading crossings, including setting up a new crossing to boost and facilitate trade.”
