Gaza Crossings' Operations Status: Monthly

GAZA CROSSINGS’ OPERATIONS STATUS: MONTHLY UPDATE - DECEMBER 2017

BACKGROUND Erez Beit Lahiya ¹ ! Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza have under- ! Jabalya ! Beit Hanoun mined the living conditions of approximately two million Palestinians in that area. Many of the Gaza City ! n Sea ! Ash Shuja’iyeh current restrictions, originally imposed by Israel in the early 1990s, were intensiﬁed after June anea Nahal Oz Karni 2007, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the imposition of a blockade. These restrictions iterr GAZA Med 21 continue to reduce access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupt family life, and 30! 0 undermine people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future. The situation has been compounded Deir al B alah by the restrictions imposed since June 2013 by the Egyptian authorities at Rafah Crossing, which ISRAEL ! had become the main crossing point used by Palestinian passengers in the Gaza Strip, given the Khan Yunis Khuza’a ! restrictions on the Israeli-controlled crossings. On 1 November 2017, pursuant to the Palestinian 14389 Rafah EGYPT ! Crossing Point reconciliation agreement reached on 12 October, the Hamas authorities handed over control of the Sufa Rafah¹º» Closed Crossing Point Armistice Declaration Line Gaza side of the Erez, Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings to the Palestinian Authority; a Hamas-run 5 Km ¹º» Kerem checkpoint that controlled access to the Erez crossing (“Arba’ Arba’”) was dismantled. Shalom International Boundary MOVEMENT AND ACCESS OF PEOPLE*

EREZ CROSSING RAFAH CROSSING • Opened on 26 days (closed on five Saturdays) during daytime hours, from Sunday to • Exceptionally opened for four days in both directions. Thursday for all permit holders (primarily medical cases, merchants, foreign nationals • A total of 3,493 crossings were registered (2,536 exits and 957 entries). and aid workers), and, on Fridays, for exceptional humanitarian cases and foreign • In 2017, Rafah crossing was partially opened for 36 days, the lowest number after nationals. 2015 when Rafah only opened for 32 days. • The volume of crossings into Israel during December was 14% below the monthly • At least 20,000 people with urgent needs are pre-registered and waiting to cross into average since the beginning of 2017 and 54% below the monthly average in 2016. Egypt, according to the local authorities in Gaza. • 2,034 Palestinians crossed Erez for medical reasons, the highest category, followed by • Prior to the closure of Rafah in 2014, a monthly average of 4,000 people crossed for 1,626 people who crossed for trading and commercial purposes. health-related reasons (WHO).

EREZ: Crossings into Israel RAFAH: Crossings in both directions

43,440 34,992

31,424 25,813 25,187 21,178 Palestinian workers into Israel June 2007 - Gaza blockade March 2006 - Israel stops allowing 15,712 15,027 13,899 13,45412,611 13,187

9,687 Crossing opened in one direction 8,239 8,141 8,416 5,756 7,121 7,052 6,238 6,482 7,971 7,214 5,640 5,719 3,068 4,011 4,376 4,919 5,311 6,003 5,624 6,959 6,029 3,521 4,191 3,361 3,493 2,482 3,337 2,393 2,900 1,857 2,175 369 1,759 0 0 0 0 2004 2005 2006 1st ½ 2nd ½ 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2006 1st ½ 2nd ½ 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2007 2007 Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total

* The ﬁgures reﬂect number of times people crossed, but not the actual number of people crossing. MOVEMENT OF GOODS FROM AND INTO GAZA EXIT OF GOODS

• The exit of authorized goods via the Kerem Shalom Crossing took place on 19 days. 961 • The volume of truckloads that exited Gaza represented a 6% increase compared with Truckloads exiting Gaza December 2016, but a 67% decline compared with the monthly average in the first 777 half of 2007, before the imposition of the blockade. • Goods exited to the following destinations: - To the West Bank: 208 truckloads of agricultural produce, 9 of fish, 5 of clothing and 417 2 of non-edible consumables; 341 372 320 - To Israel: 36 truckloads of agricultural produce, scrap metal and garments; and 281 270 253 216 - To international markets: 60 truckloads of agricultural produce. 178 211 113 113 92 • Kerem Shalom Crossing is currently the only regular commercial route for the exit of 62 89 17 3 2 18 23 21 15 19 goods from Gaza. 2005 2006 1st ½ 2nd ½ 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2007 Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total

Creation date: 08/01/2018 Feedback: [email protected] www.ochaopt.org http://data.ochaopt.org/gazacrossing.aspx Information on the status of border crossings and numbers of truckloads is based on data provided by the Gaza Ministry of National Economy, UNRWA, UNSCO and Paltrade (Palestine Trade Center). GAZA CROSSINGS’ OPERATIONS STATUS: MONTHLY UPDATE - DECEMBER 2017

Truckloads entering Gaza** ENTRY OF GOODS • Kerem Shalom crossing operated for the entry of goods on 20 days.* • The volume of goods that entered in December was nearly the same as the monthly 11,514 11,625 11,176 11,278 10,908 10,889 11,097 average recorded since the beginning of 2017, but 11% below the first half of 2007, 10,038 prior to the imposition of the blockade. 9,654 9,918 9,290 9,006 • 4% of the imported truckloads were designated for humanitarian aid agencies. • 5,615 truckloads carried construction materials, constituting the largest category of 7,890 7,817 imports (52%). 7,577 7,226 • 22% of construction material truckloads contained (Cement, Steel bars) items defined 6,285 5,652 by Israel as having a ‘dual use’, approved via the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism 4,815 (GRM). 4,107 4,307 • Karni, Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings with Israel remained closed. 3,305 2,557 2,593 2,236

2005 2006 1st ½ 2nd ½ 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2007 * Closed on five Saturdays, five Fridays and one day due to Israeli closure. Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total ** Figures exclude truckloads carrying fuel.

Goods imported in December 2017 Humanitarian vs. commercial imports (in truckloads)* 12,255 12,071 (in truckloads) 11,994 11,151 11,317 11,699 in 2017 Commercial 10,050 10,327 9,324 Monthly average Humanitarian * Figures include truckloads carrying fuel. 25 Education/Stationery 52 9,100 8,457 7,931 86 Livestock 60 7,511

17 Medical Supplies 69 5,700

72 Agricultural Raw Materials 76 3,941 3,090 3,275 3,427 3,089 71 Packaging Applications 120 2,294 2,073 2,198 1,504 1,712 962 1,218 1,024 643 415 528 425 617 641 601 122 Hygiene/Cleaning Supplies 161 193 350 231 287 295 525 289 460 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 343 Non-Edible Consumables 514 Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total 416 Industrial/Electrical Appliances 630 Entry of restricted basic construction materials in December 491 Animal Feed 642 per sector (in truckloads)* 2,008 Restricted Construction Materials 1,264 1,196 51 17

1,998 Human Food Products 1,979 GRM** projects

4,223 Other Construction Materials 4,351 UNRWA UNDP * Primarily includes cement and steel bars. ** The Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) is a temporary agreement between the Government of Palestine, the Government of Israel and the United Nations, reached in September 2014, to allow the entry of items deﬁned by Israel as having a “dual” civilian/mili- FUEL IMPORTS INTO GAZA tary use. These include building materials for repairs and reconstruction of private housing and infrastructure damaged or destroyed during hostilities, as well as new projects not related to hostilities. 5.5

5 16 FUEL IMPORTS Petrol Diesel 4.5 14 (in million litres) Kerem Shalom opened on 22 days for the import of 4 (in million litres) 12 fuel, allowing the entry of: 3.5 10 3 • 14.1 million litres of petrol and diesel; and 8 2.5 • 5,379 tons of cooking gas, which represents 2 6 about 72% of the estimated needs, according to 1.5 4 1 the Gas Station Owners’ Association. 2 0.5 0 Rafah Crossing opened on 29 days during 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec December for the entry of fuel, allowing the entry Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total 14 of: 6 Gas 12 Fuel for power plant • 11.5 million litres of fuel for the Gaza Power 5 (in million kilograms) (in million litres) 10 Plant; and 4 8 • 1.6 million litres of petrol.

3 6 Only Egyptian Fuel

2 4

1 2

0 0 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total Monthly Average 2017 Monthly Total Creation date: 08/01/2018 Feedback: [email protected] www.ochaopt.org http://data.ochaopt.org/gazacrossing.aspx Information on the status of border crossings and numbers of truckloads is based on data provided by the Gaza Ministry of National Economy, UNRWA, UNSCO and Paltrade (Palestine Trade Center).