When
Hamas seized power of the Gaza Strip in 2007, 120,000 Gazans who worked inside Israel had their passes revoked. In recent years, Israel has allowed thousands of Gaza Palestinians to work within its borders. In 2021, 7,000 Gazans held Israeli work or trade permits. In 2022, the permit quota was raised to 17,000, with a planned increase to 20,000. The wages earned in Israel are significantly higher than what’s available within Gaza. For example, one permit holder mentioned that one month of work in Israel equals three years of work in Gaza. In September 2023, approximately 18,000 Gazans had Israeli work permits, which provided a cash injection of $2 million a day to Gaza's economy. Following the
October 7 attacks and subsequent
Gaza war, Gazans in Israel on work permits were unable to return to Gaza after they were revoked by Israeli authorities. Some were detained by the
Israel Defense Force (IDF) or other Israeli authorities in the
West Bank while others were deported to that territory. == See also ==