Gaza renews taxi fleet to dismay of old cab drivers
For the first time in nine years, Israel has allowed the entry of new taxi cars into Gaza, a decision that appealed to Gazans but was met with criticism by the owners of old and dilapidated cars, who fear that the new cars will put them out of business.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — For the first time in nine years, Israeli authorities allowed the entry of new taxis into the Gaza Strip on April 13. After Hamas won the legislative elections in June 2006 and came to power, Israel imposed an embargo on taxis as part of a tight blockade restricting a wide range of goods.
Six out of 36 Skoda 2002-model taxis have already entered Gaza while the rest will follow once their registration papers are completed. The entry via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza is being coordinated with the Palestinian ministries of transportation in the West Bank and Gaza.
Khalil Zayyan, the head of the public relations department at the Ministry of Transportation in Gaza, said the number of taxis approved for entry by Israeli authorities is nothing compared to the actual number needed, which is estimated to be double the existing 4,000-5,000 dilapidated cars in the Gaza Strip.
In his interview with Al-Monitor, Zayyan explained that the new taxis were introduced as alternatives to those destroyed during the Israeli war on Gaza in the summer of 2014, which are estimated at 1,173 civilian cars (taxi, private and commercial vehicles).
