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Source: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)	24 March 2016

BACKGROUND Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza have undermined the living conditions of 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza. Many of the current restrictions, originally imposed by Israel in the early 1990s, were intensified after June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the imposition of a blockade. These restrictions have reduced access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupted family life, and undermined people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future. The situation has been compounded by the restrictions imposed since June 2013 by the Egyptian authorities at Rafah Crossing, which had become the main crossing point used by Palestinian passengers in the Gaza Strip, given the above restrictions on the Israeli- controlled crossings.

MOVEMENT AND ACCESS OF PEOPLE*

EREZ CROSSING • In February, Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was open for 25 out of 25 scheduled days. • The number of crossings during February decreased by 7% compared to the previous month. • Accessible only to Israeli issued permit holders, primarily medical and other humanitarian cases, merchants, and aid workers. * The figures reflect number of times people crossed, but not the actual number of people crossing.

RAFAH CROSSING • Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened on three out of 29 scheduled days during February 2015. • The crossing has been closed since 24 October 2014, except for 42 days. • There are at least 30,000 Palestinians registered as humanitarian cases waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah.

EREZ : Number of crossings into Israel

RAFAH : Number of crossings in both directions

MOVEMENT OF GOODS FROM AND INTO GAZA

EXIT OF GOODS • Kerem Shalom operated on 18 out of 25 scheduled days during daytime (08:00 - 19:00). • 176 truckloads of goods exited Gaza, and this represents 39% decrease compared to January 2016 to the following destinations: - 134 truckloads of agricultural products and clothing to West Bank; - 25 truckloads of agricultural products and scrap metal to Israel; - 17 truckloads of agricultural products to international markets.

ENTRY OF GOODS • Kerem Shalom operated on 22 out of 25 scheduled days, allowing the entry of 11,511 truckloads of goods. • Rafah commercial crossing opened on three days, 119 truckloads of construction materials entered Gaza through. • The volume of imports this month increased by 47% compared to the monthly average in 2015 and was the highest since 2005. • 12% of the truckloads that entered in February were designated for aid agencies. • 7,869 of the truckloads carried construction materials, constituting the largest category of imports (62%). These included 2,533 truckloads of materials defined by Israel as dual use items. • Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings with Israel remained closed.

Breakdown of goods imported in February 2016 (in truckloads)

* Primarily includes cement and steel bars, aggregates removed from dual use materials list. **The GRM is a temporary agreement between the Government of Palestine and the Government of Israel, brokered by the United Nations in September 2014, to allow the entry of dual use items, including building materials for repairs and reconstruction of private housing and infrastructure damaged or destroyed during the hostilities, as well as new projects not related to damages during hostilities. Prior to the GRM the import of construction material was limited to international organizations following a lengthy approval procedure, but not for the private sector or shelter self-help programs.

FUEL IMPORTS INTO GAZA

FUEL IMPORTS Kerem Shalom was the only crossing available for the import of fuel, allowing the entry of: • 19.9 million liters of petrol & diesel. • 7.1 million liters of industrial fuel for the Gaza Power Plant. • 4,806 tons of cooking gas. This is about a third of the monthly estimated demand.

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/gaza_crossings_operations_status_february_2016.pdf

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