GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel reopened the Erez/Beit Hanoun crossing from the northern Gaza Strip on April 26, allowing 12,000 Palestinian workers to enter its territories for work. Israel had closed the crossing on April 23 after rockets were fired from Gaza.
No party claimed responsibility for the rockets. They were fired amid the security tension in Jerusalem, where clashes recently erupted at Al-Aqsa Mosque between Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police. According to the Israeli armed forces, the rockets did not cause any injuries or damage.
Israel's Army Radio said that military leaders met on April 23 and decided that rather than respond militarily, Israel would close the crossing, which is the only way for Palestinian workers to leave for Israel. According to the report, the closure would cost Gaza 5 million shekels ($1.538 million) every day, the total daily income of 12,000 Palestinian workers.
As part of the understanding Israel reached with Hamas through Egyptian, Qatari and international mediators in November 2018, the Jewish state allowed the entry of thousands of Gazan workers to work inside Israel in construction, agriculture and other fields to alleviate the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli blockade imposed on the enclave since 2007 has brought the poverty rate to more than 60% and unemployment to 46%, one the highest rates in the world.
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