Israel is quietly allowing thousands of Palestinians to enter from the Gaza Strip to conduct business and work menial jobs, apparently as part of understandings with the ruling Hamas militant group aimed at preventing a fourth war in the blockaded territory.
Israel effectively revoked thousands of work permits when it joined Egypt in imposing a crippling blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
The blockade, along with three wars between Hamas and Israel, has devastated the economy in Gaza, where unemployment is over 50 per cent.
In recent months, Israel has quietly provided some relief as part of an unofficial, Egyptian-brokered truce with Hamas, in exchange for reduced rocket fire from the territory and the scaling back of weekly protests along the border.
It has allowed Qatar to deliver millions of dollars in cash to allow Hamas to pay its civil servants and has allowed the United Nations to step up aid efforts.
Now it appears Israel has expanded a program in which it had long provided hundreds of permits to business owners to travel to Israel and the West Bank for commerce.
Palestinian officials say it is now providing some 5,000 so-called merchant permits and awarding them to Palestinians working as labourers in construction, agriculture and manufacturing.
The Israeli military body that administers civilian affairs in Gaza did not respond to requests for comment. Hamas officials also declined to comment.
On a recent Sunday, dozens of men in tattered clothes, carrying their personal belongings in duffel bags and plastic sacks, filed through revolving gates at the Erez crossing into Israel.
Each had a merchant permit, but many of them appeared to be making the crossing for the first time and asked for advice on how to proceed.
One of the workers, who identified himself only as Raed, said he paid USD 500 to a Gaza company to apply for a merchant permit and then reconnected with construction firms he had worked for prior to 2007.
He said the added income allowed him to add a new floor to his building and buy a taxi for one of his children.
He declined to provide his last name, fearing it could endanger his permit. "This is a golden opportunity," he said.
But he also fears the permit could be withdrawn at any time.
"There are no laws securing our rights if we get into a dispute with the employer."
"We need 15,000 to 20,000 workers to go there in order to feel the effect of this easing."
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