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Source: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)	11 February 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 January, Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was open for 26 out of 26 scheduled days. • The number of crossings during January increased by 11% compared to December 2015. • 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 was closed during the whole month of January • The crossing has been closed since 24 October 2014, except for 39 days. • There are at least 30,000 Palestinians registered as humanitarian cases waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah.

EXIT OF GOODS • Kerem Shalom operated on 20 out of 26 scheduled days during daytime (08:00 - 19:00). • 288 truckloads of goods, the largest such figure in a single month since the imposition of the blockade in June 2007, exited Gaza to the following destinations: • 204 truckloads of agricultural products and clothing to West Bank; • 62 truckloads of agricultural products and scrap metal to Israel; • 22 truckloads of agricultural products to international markets.

ENTRY OF GOODS • Kerem Shalom operated on 21 out of 26 scheduled days, allowing the entry of 10,664 truckloads of goods. • Rafah commercial crossing was closed on all days during January 2016. • The volume of imports this month increased by 35% compared to the monthly average 2015 and was the highest since 2005. • 12% of the truckloads that entered in January were designated for aid agencies. • 7,612 of the truckloads carried construction materials, constituting the largest category of imports (71%). These included 2,750 truckloads of materials defined by Israel as dual use items. • Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings with Israel remained closed.

Breakdown of goods import in January 2016 (in truckloads)

Humanitarian vs. commercial imports (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: • 15.6 million liters of petrol & diesel. • 9.2 million liters of industrial fuel for the Gaza power plant. • 3,465 tons of cooking gas. This is about a third of the monthly estimated demand

http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/gaza_crossings_operations_status_january_2016.pdf

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