GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel announced Dec. 3 its willingness to grant hundreds of work permits to Palestinian laborers from the Gaza Strip to work in the fields of construction, agriculture and services. This would lead to the recovery of the economic situation in the Gaza Strip after permits stopped being issued with the outbreak of the second, Al-Aqsa intifada on Sept. 27, 2000.

Gazan workers who were previously employed in Israel are greatly suffering from a high unemployment rate and few job opportunities, and most of its laborers have large families to provide for and just rely on the aid provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs, which ranges from 800 to 1,600 shekels ($208 to $416) every three months — depending on the number of family members.

Shokran Mohammad, 49, was very happy to hear the work permit issuance news, which gave him hope that he will overcome the poverty and unemployment he is suffering from.

He said he worked in Israel in the field of construction and contracting from 1993 to 2000, before Israel closed the crossings and stopped issuing work permits for Palestinian workers due to the intifada. He pointed out that ever since, he has been working intermittently in Gaza for a maximum period of two years, and he gets paid very little compared with what he used to earn per month during his work in Israel.