TheIsraeli permit regime in the Gaza Strip is the legal regime that requiresPalestinians in theGaza Strip to obtain a number of separate permits from themilitary authorities of Israel,their occupiers from1967 to2005.
Israeli work permits allow pass holders to work inIsrael orits occupied territories[1] where wages are significantly higher than in Gaza, which has beenunder a blockade by Israel and Egypt since Islamist militant groupHamas hasgained power in the region.[2]
Israeli authorities, including theMinistry of Defense, view the scheme as a means of keeping peaceful relations;[3][4] critics view the scheme as a form of coercive control.[5] Israel alsooperates a similar permit regime in the West Bank.[2] TheAssociated Press notes that this is used for leverage by Israel, who know that the violent actions of Hamas are going to be blamed for Gazans losing their work permits.[2]
WhenHamas seized power of the Gaza Strip in 2007, 120,000 Gazans who worked inside Israel had their passes revoked.[2] 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.[6] 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.[2] 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.[7]
Following theOctober 7 attacks and subsequentGaza war, Gazans in Israel on work permits were unable to return to Gaza after they were revoked by Israeli authorities.[8][9] Some were detained by theIsrael Defense Force (IDF) or other Israeli authorities in theWest Bank[10] while others were deported to that territory.[11]