The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip, headed by the Hamas movement, has decided to establish a new temporary refugee camp at the Erez Terminal, between the Gaza Strip and Israel, to absorb the Palestinians who were forced out of the West Bank recently.The Palestinians were forcibly removed from occupied West Bank under the new Israeli order, number 1650, in which Israel allowed itself to deport Palestinians livening in the West Bank without a West Bank identity card or residency permit.
Israel controls the issuing of ID cards and permits, and therefore has the ultimate power to deny such applications, including family reunification applications.
The new law is another attempt to deport thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank and transfer them to Gaza, while thousands of Palestinians who came from Jordan and Arab countries will be deported to Jordan.
The Palestinian government in Gaza intends to seek the help of charity institutions and other resources to financially support the new camp and stated that the measure is temporary until the residents are allowed back home.
On Wednesday April 21, Israel deported Ahmad Sabah, 38, to the Gaza Strip after he spent more than nine years in Israeli prisons for his political activities. After serving his nine-year term, he was move to administrative detention for six months before he was deported to Gaza.
On Tuesday April 27, Israel deported Fadi al-Azazma, 19, from Hebron to the Gaza Strip. The army also deported Hani Eshtewy who lived in Be’er Sheva.
The Israeli order is yet another violation against freedom of movement of the Palestinians in the occupied territories, and violates international law, including the Fourth Geneva Conventions.
There are more than 1 million refugees in the Gaza Strip, with more than half of them living in eight overcrowded refugee camps; al-Shaty’, al-Boreij, Dir al-Balah, Jabalia, Khan Younis al-Maghazi, al-Nusseirat and Rafah refugee camps.
