GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In February, Suleiman al-Dali, a student, lost a scholarship to study for a bachelor’s degree in engineering in Turkey after the Interior Ministry in the West Bank stopped issuing passports to residents of the Gaza Strip that month. Dali, who has a diploma in interior design from the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, had waited a long time and endured various hardships before being accepted into the Turkish program after fulfilling all the requirements.

He told Al-Monitor, “After I was accepted, I began the official procedures to finalize my papers and prepare for my travel to Turkey. More than three months ago, I applied to the Interior Ministry in Ramallah, through its services office in Gaza, to renew my passport, which was set to expire in a few months. However, the scholarship’s deadline passed [without my traveling to Turkey] because the passport was not renewed, under the pretext that they didn’t have passport booklets [in Gaza]. I, therefore, lost the scholarship, which for me was like a dream that suddenly turned into a mirage.” 

Dali is not the only victim of the halt in issuing passports. Thousands of Gaza residents are waiting to receive their travel documents after applying some three months ago through the services offices in Gaza. Usually it takes about a month to process applications and for an applicant to receive his or her passport. Those applying for a new passport must pay 350 shekels (about $90) and provide identity documents and other papers attesting to scientific and functional qualifications if traveling abroad for an academic program.

Walid al-Halabi, the owner of a travel and general services business in Gaza City, said that issuance and renewal services for passports stopped in mid-February, which has led to a backlog of thousands of applications in all the services offices throughout Gaza.