GAZA CROSSINGS’ OPERATIONS STATUS:

MONTHLY UPDATE - DECEMBER 2019

BACKGROUND Beit Lahiya
!
¹
Erez

Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip have !

a
Jabalya ! Beit

Se
undermined the living conditions of about two million Palestinians. Many of the restrictions, originally
Hanoun
Gaza City

an
!

imposed by Israel in the early 1990s and also in 2000s, when Israel shut down the Gaza airport and
!

ne
Ash Shuja’iyeh
Nahal Oz
safe passage between Gaza and West Bank, were intensified after June 2007, following the Hamas

rra
Karni

te
takeover of Gaza, the imposition of a blockade and the closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt (Rafah

i
GAZA

ed
21
reopened in 2018). These restrictions limit access to livelihoods, essential basic services and housing, 300

M
!

disrupt family life, and undermine people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future. In recent months, Deir al Balah

OCHA has witnessed some easing of restrictions, such as the opening Kerem Shalom crossing on ISRAEL
Fridays for the entry of Qatari-funded fuel for the Gaza Power Plant (GPP); an increase in the number !

of permits issued to Palestinians classified as business people; and the expansion of permissible Khan Yunis
Khuza’a
fishing zone of Gaza cost to 15 nautical miles. !

EGYPT 14
389
Interactive versions of the following charts are available at www.ochaopt.org/gaza-crossings/ Salah Ad Din Rafah Crossing Point
gate
!

Sufa Closed Crossing Point

Rafah ¹
º
»

5 Km Kerem Armistice Declaration Line

¹
º
International Boundary
»
Shalom

MOVEMENT AND ACCESS OF PEOPLE*

EREZ CROSSING RAFAH CROSSING
• Opened on 27 days during daytime: from Sunday to Thursday, for the passage of Israeli-issued permit • Opened in both directions during daytime hours on 22 days for the departure of
holders of all authorized groups (primarily business people, patients and accompaniers, foreign pre-registered people.
nationals, private needs to travel abroad and aid workers); and, on Fridays, for urgent cases and
foreign nationals. • A total of 12,547 crossings (5,141 entries into Gaza and 7,406 exits) were
• The number of exits in December (23,798) was 56 per cent above the monthly average between recorded in December, three per cent above the monthly average between
January and November 2019 (15,275) and the highest since the imposition of the blockade in 2007. January and November 2019 (12,137).
• The monthly average in 2019 was 49 per cent less the monthly average in 2005 and the highest • Since July 2018, Rafah crossing has been operating five days a week (from
recorded figure since 2005. Sunday to Thursday) on a regular basis, following some four years of irregular
• Israel approved 60 per cent of the 2,198 applications submitted during December for the exit of and intermittent opening.
patients referred to medical treatment in the West Bank and Israel; the rest were either rejected or
not answered by the time of the medical appointments (WHO).
• The number of exits of patients and their accompaniers (3,333) increased by 13 per cent, compared
with the monthly average between January and November 2019 (2,948).
• The number of exits by “business people” increased by 73 per cent, compared with the monthly
average between January and November (17,338 vs 10,000) and constitutes the largest category;
some of the people included in this category are believed to be day labourers.
• The current number of “business people” (including reported labourers) with valid permits is 5,601 Crossings in both directions
up from less than 2,000 in December 2018 (PA General Authority for Civil Affairs).

35.0K

Crossings into Israel

43.4K 25.8K 25.2K
March 2006 - Israel stops allowing
Palestinian workers into Israel 21.2K
18.4K

24K 15.7K 14.9K

31.4K 13.9K
June 2007 - Gaza blockade 13.3K 13.7K 13K 12.1K 12.5K
19.7K 18K 10.2K
16.3K 16.6K17.7K 16K 9.8K 13.8K
15.0K 13.2K 13.6K 8.1K 8.2K 8.5K
12.4K 12.9K13.3K 5.6K
9.5K 11.1K 5.7K
13.5K
12.6K 5.8K7.1K 6.9K 1.8K 2.4K 3.5K 2.9K
3.3K 4.4K 4.9K 0.4K
1.9K2.2K 2.5K

200420052006 1st 2nd 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2006 1st 2nd 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2
2007 2007
Monthly Average 2019 Monthly Average 2019
Monthly Total Monthly Total

* The figures reflect number of times people crossed, but not the actual number of people crossing. * Since July 2018, It has been operating five days a week (from Sunday to Thursday).

MOVEMENT OF GOODS FROM AND INTO GAZA

EXIT OF GOODS
• Authorized goods exited through the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel on 21 Truckloads of goods exiting Gaza
days.
• A total of 481 truckloads exited, 36 per cent above the figure recorded in 961

December 2018 and the highest number since the imposition of the blockade in 777
2007.
• The monthly average of exiting truckloads during 2019 stood at 262, 73 per cent
less than the equivalent figure in the first half of 2007, before the imposition of 398
481

the blockade. 417

362
274
319
296
263
• Goods exited to: 178
218 217
171 151
240

- The West Bank: 388 truckloads of agricultural produce; 11 of fish; 10 of clothing; 18 23 21 19

113 82 109
17 3 2 15
10 of non-edible consumables and 3 of furniture;
- Israel: 46 truckloads of agricultural produce, scrap metal, furniture and 2005 2006 1st 2nd
1/2 1/2
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

garments; 2007
Monthly Average 2019
- Other destinations: 13 truckloads of agricultural produce. Monthly Total
• Kerem Shalom is the only crossing allowing for the regular exit of goods.
Creation date: 14/01/2020 Feedback: ochaimu@un.org www.ochaopt.org www.ochaopt.org/gaza-crossings/ facebook.com/ochaopt @ochaopt
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 2019
ENTRY OF GOODS
Truckloads entering Gaza* • The Kerem Shalom crossing opened for imports on 23 days (Sunday to Thursday),
allowing the entry of 8,797 truckloads of goods, 11 per cent above the monthly
average since the start of 2019 (7,888).
11.2K 10.8K • In 2019, a monthly average of 8,597 truckloads entered Gaza, 23 per cent below
10.0K9.9K
10 k 9.7K
9.5K
9.8K the monthly average in the first half of 2007, prior to the blockade, although since
9.3K 8.8K
8.5K 8.4K 8.4K 8.6K 2007 Gaza’s population has grown by 42 per cent (from 1.4 million to 1.99
8k 7.9K
7.2K 7.2K
8K
million), source: PCBS.
7K
• Some six per cent of the goods entered were for humanitarian agencies.
6k 5.7K Through Kerem
Shalom
6.3K 4.8K • 4,250 of the truckloads that entered through Kerem Shalom carried construction
4.1K
4k
3.3K
materials, constituting the largest category of imports (48 per cent).
4.3K
• An additional 1,017 truckloads of goods (excluding fuel) entered from Egypt
2k
2.6K 2.2K 2.6K through the Salah ad Din Gate, 70 per cent above the monthly average between
Through Salah Al
Din gate January and November 2019 (597).
2005 20061st 2nd 2008 2009 20102011 2012 20132014 20152016 20172018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1/2 1/2
2007
Monthly Average 2019
Monthly Total * Figures exclude truckloads carrying fuel.

Goods imported in December 2019 (in truckloads) Humanitarian vs. commercial imports (in truckloads)*

2018
Average
3629 Construction 3,803 11.3K

2066 Human Food Products 2,274 9.9K

10.3K
10.1K
9.4K
1073 ABC Construction Materials 1,057 9.1K 9.2K
8.9K 8.9K 8.9K
8.8K
8.3K
571 Animal Feed 712

481 Non-Edible Consumables 600 7.6K

7.5K 7.5K

Industrial/Electrical Appliances 555 5.7K

455
105 Livestock 205
3.9K Commercial
3.4K
183 Hygiene/Cleaning Supplies 205 3.1K 3.3K 3.1K
2.3K 2.2K
91 Agricultural Raw Materials 123 2.1K
1.7K
1.5K
1.2K 1.0K
Packaging Applications 106 1.0K
83 0.6K 0.4K 0.4K 0.6K 0.6K 0.4K 0.6K 0.5K 0.4K 0.5K 0.5K 0.6K
0.2K 0.4K 0.2K 0.3K 0.3K
Humanitarian
75 Medical Supplies 69
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

35 Education/Stationary 65
Monthly Average 2019
Monthly Total
0 Vehicles/Transporters 40
*Figures include truckloads carrying fuel.

6.0 m FUEL IMPORTS

4.0 m Kerem Shalom operated on 22 days for the import of
2.0 m fuel.
Petrol
0.0 m In total, this allowed the entry of:
litres
• 5.1 million litres of diesel;
20.0 m
15.0 m • 0.6 million litres of petrol;
10.0 m • 518 tons of cooking gas; and
5.0 m Diesel
0.0 m • 11.4 million litres of Qatari-funded fuel for the GPP.
litres
Salah ad Din Gate operated on 14 days for the entry
8.0 k of fuel, allowing the entry of:
6.0 k
4.0 k • 4.4 million litres of diesel;
2.0 k Gas • 2 million litres of petrol; and
0.0 k
tons • 6,993 tons of cooking gas.
20.0 m The volume of petrol and diesel that entered in
15.0 m December was 18 per cent below the monthly
10.0 m
average between January and November 2019.
5.0 m
0.0 m
Industrial Fuel
litres 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Monthly Average 2019

Monthly Total

Through Kerem Shalom Through Salah Al Din gate

* The Friday openings are ongoing since October 2018.

Creation date: 14/01/2020 Feedback: ochaimu@un.org www.ochaopt.org www.ochaopt.org/gaza-crossings/ facebook.com/ochaopt @ochaopt
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).