Gaza Economy Severely Damaged by Israel Closure of Abu Salem Crossing

Gaza, MINA – Israel’s two-day closure of Karem Abu Salem crossing has inflicted tremendous losses on Gaza’s economy, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture has warned.

The general manager of the marketing and crossings department at Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture, Tahseen al-Sakka, said $200-thousand deficit has been wrought on the agricultural sector in the past couple of days, Palestinian Information Center reported.

Al-Sakka said Gaza exports some 200 to 250 tons of vegetables and fruits to West Bank and European markets on a quasi-daily basis.

However, because of the closure slapped on Karem Abu Salem crossing point, the agricultural output has been piled up at local markets across the besieged Gaza enclave, where civilians’ purchasing power has dramatically gone down over recent years.

Private sector authorities in the Gaza Strip also warned of an imminent explosion as a result the economic breakdown rocking the enclave.

Israeli authorities sounded the alarm over the unprecedented exacerbation in the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli daily Haaretz said trucks dispatched to Karem Abu Salem have been cut by half by Gaza’s merchants over recent months as a result of the economic crisis.(R/R04/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)