Israel Expels Thousands of Palestinians from Jobs in Israel and West Bank
Israel has sent thousands of Palestinians back to the besieged Gaza Strip as part of a crackdown on workers and laborers who had permits to work in Israel and the occupied West Bank. The workers returned through the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is located east of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
The move comes after weeks of Israeli airstrikes and tank attacks on Gaza since the October 7 attack on southwestern Israel by Hamas gunmen. Many Palestinians feel humiliated by the decision, as they used to work in various sectors in Israel, such as houses, restaurants, and markets, earning low wages but still higher than what they could earn in Gaza.
Previously, Israel had issued over 18,000 permits allowing Gazans to cross into Israel and the West Bank for work in sectors like agriculture and construction, where salaries were up to ten times higher than in Gaza. However, the economic incentives have been scrapped as Israel focuses on eradicating Hamas and has severed all contact with Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated, “There will be no more Palestinian workers from Gaza,” adding that those workers who were already in Israel on the day the war broke out would be sent back to Gaza.
Since then, Israel has continuously bombed Gaza and launched a ground offensive, resulting in the deaths of over 9,200 Palestinians, including many children, and the displacement of more than 1.4 million people out of Gaza’s population of about 2.3 million.
It remains unclear how many Gaza residents were in Israel when the Hamas gunmen attacked the fenced border and killed 1,400 people while taking 240 into captivity. However, a senior Palestinian Authority official estimated that around 4,950 Gaza residents had fled to the West Bank, while approximately 5,000 were believed to be detained by Israel.
The situation has left many Palestinians uncertain about the fate of their loved ones. Ghazal Ghazal, who worked at a sweets factory in Tel Aviv, escaped to the West Bank after hearing about the arrests conducted by Israeli authorities. Patchy internet and phone connections have made it difficult for Palestinians in the West Bank to stay updated on the situation in Gaza.
Nidal Abu Jidian, a father of three who worked as a road paver in Israel before seeking refuge in Ramallah, follows the news on his phone to learn about his family’s condition. He tragically recounted a conversation with his uncle, who was killed by an Israeli strike while they were talking on the phone.
The expulsion of Palestinians from jobs in Israel and the West Bank further exacerbates the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
