PALESTINIAN OFFICIAL: GAZA SUFFERS FROM THE WORST AND LONGEST BLOCKADE

        Gaza, 5 Julqa’dah 1434/10 September 2013 (MINA) – Palestinian Chamber of Commerce in the Gaza Strip warned that the sudden closure of tunnels between Gaza and Egypt without opening the commercial crossings and without allowing entry of all types of goods into Gaza, contribute in tightening the blockade.

         It pointed out that the closure of tunnels “is causing heavy economic losses, especially in the construction sector, which depends entirely on the entry of construction materials and supplies through the tunnels as the Israeli side has been preventing their entry through the official crossings,” Palestinian Information Center reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

        The Egyptian military have continued to demolish the tunnels established by the Palestinians for smuggling the basic materials into Gaza.

        These tunnels have helped over the years people in the Strip to overcome the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation forces since 2007.

        Dr. Maher Tabaa, director of public relations at the Chamber of Commerce in the Gaza Strip, told Quds Press that the increase in unemployment and poverty rates is caused by the stoppage of economic activities due to the closure of the tunnels.

        Tabaa said that the Palestinian economy suffered direct economic losses in the sectors of production, investment, foreign trade, agriculture and industry, and this has doubled the economic, social, health and psychological problems.

        He noted that two months after the siege the Israeli government made a decision considering the Gaza Strip as a hostile entity and decided to take a series of measures to tighten the siege.

       He added that due to the blockade unemployment rates in the early years of the blockade exceeded 40% while the number of unemployed hit 170 thousand people. (T/P03/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)