Israel reopens key crossing to Palestinian workers amid Gaza violence

Thousands of people wait at Erez after two weeks of closure

Palestinian workers gather in the waiting hall at the reopened Erez crossing. Reuters

Israel reopened the Erez border crossing, authorities said on Thursday, allowing Palestinian workers to leave the blockaded Gaza Strip after almost two weeks of closure.

The crossing, the only exit for Palestinians from Gaza into Israel, was initially closed for the Jewish New Year on September 15.

The closure was then extended amid Palestinian protests on the border in a move criticised as “collective punishment.”

The Palestinian civilian affairs ministry confirmed the crossing had reopened on Thursday morning, while Israel's COGAT, the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, confirmed the move on Wednesday night.

About 18,500 Gazans work in Israel, according to COGAT, with jobs in high demand among Palestinians in the blockaded enclave, where wages are low and unemployment rates hover at about 50 per cent.

While Palestinians seeking medical treatment in Israel were technically allowed to use the crossing, many people in need of life-saving care are often denied permits or receive permission from authorities too late.

Journalists at the crossing saw thousands of Palestinian workers waiting to enter Israel on Thursday.

It comes amid continuing protests on the border between Gaza and Israel, where Israeli forces have killed several people and wounded dozens of demonstrators protesting continuing Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank.

Seven Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 wounded in the violence in Gaza since September 13, as reported by the Hamas-controlled health ministry.

Protesters have burnt tyres and sent incendiary balloons across the border as Israeli forces fire tear gas and live ammunition.

The army killed six Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza last Tuesday amid raids on Jenin refugee camp and protests on the Gaza border.

It also struck three Hamas sites in the strip the week before.

Israel has imposed an air, land and sea blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized the Palestinian territory in 2007.

Violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank can also lead to conflict in Gaza, where Israel has launched air strikes following rocket fire from Hamas.

More than 30 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza in May, following the death of one Israeli by Hamas rocket fire.