Israel to Cut Off All Communication with Gaza, Returns Gazan Workers to Enclave
Israel to repatriate Gazan workers and cut off communication with Gaza, according to the Security Cabinet's recent decision
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Israel's Security Cabinet announced on Thursday that it will repatriate Gazans who are employed in the country and return them to the besieged Palestinian enclave. Additionally, Israel stated that it will cut off all communication with Gaza. Prior to the October 7 terrorist attacks and kidnapping spree carried out by Hamas, approximately 18,000 Gazans possessed permits to enter Israel for work purposes, allowing them to earn considerably higher wages than in Gaza.
Last month, Gazans in the West Bank revealed to CNN that obtaining a work permit for Israel was crucial in transforming them into essential providers for their families. As the sole breadwinners, they were able to secure employment while the salaries they earned in Israel significantly surpassed any potential earnings in Gaza.
However, due to the Hamas-initiated acts of terror on Israeli territory, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 individuals, predominantly civilians, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) imposed a complete blockade on the enclave. Consequently, numerous Gazans employed in Israel found themselves trapped and unable to return to their homes.
Unemployment rates in Gaza rank among the highest globally, with approximately half of the population unemployed, as per the 2022 UN findings. Furthermore, over 80% of the residents endure poverty. In August, the UNRWA, the primary UN aid agency in the region, stated that Gaza has witnessed a consistent deterioration in its socioeconomic conditions for the past fifteen years.
Palestinian men, stranded outside Gaza, witness the torment their families endure in their homeland. Despite being ruled by Hamas, the 140-square-mile enclave remains blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007, heavily dependent on imported fuel and electricity to sustain its basic services.
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During a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 28, a man writes a message amidst family members and supporters of the hostages held in Gaza. The hostages were kidnapped by Hamas gunmen from Israel, and the demonstrators are urging a dialogue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
On October 27, in Tel Aviv, Israel, a display featuring Teddy bears with their eyes covered and displaying signs of injury is showcased. This poignant exhibit serves as a reminder of the young children and babies who are currently missing, and it is believed that they are being held hostage by Hamas.
A Palestinian man injured in an Israeli airstrike is carried on a stretcher at Nasser Medical Hospital, in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 27.
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People take cover as rocket sirens sound during the funeral of Sagiv Ben Zvi in Holon, Israel, on Thursday, October 26.
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A woman looks from behind a gate at the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 26.
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A Palestinian child is assisted as people search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City on Wednesday, October 25.
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A woman with a photograph of a child who was abducted during the Hamas attack on Israel hands out yellow ribbons to passing drivers in central Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 25.
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Yocheved Lifshitz speaks to the media after she was released by Hamas, outside Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 24.
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Israeli soldiers stand guard as smoke rises following a rocket launched in southern Israel on October 24.
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A view of buildings reduced to rubble and ruins by Israeli airstrikes are seen in Gaza on October 23.
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An Israeli soldier stands in an armored vehicle near the Lebanon border on October 23.
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On October 22, at Tel Aviv University in Israel, the Smolarz Auditorium showcases a heartbreaking sight: rows of vacant seats adorned with photographs of over 1,000 individuals who have been abducted, missing, or tragically lost their lives in the devastating Hamas attack. Captured in haunting images by Leon Neal for Getty Images.
Relatives mourn for a man killed by Hamas during his funeral in Nir Oz, Israel, on October 22.
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IDF soldiers clean the barrel of a tank in southern Israel on October 21.
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Relatives mourn for a family killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 21.
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Relatives of the hostages address the media during the "Lighting up the Light" campaign in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 21, advocating for the safe return of their loved ones.
Children use candles for lighting in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday, October 20.
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Women grieve at an event for the families of Israelis who are missing or being held hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 20.
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A Palestinian woman mourns over the bodies of her relatives who were killed an Israeli airstrike that hit a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City on October 20.
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Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on October 19, met with soldiers stationed in a field near the Israeli-Gaza border. Gallant, addressing the soldiers, emphasized, "Currently, you observe Gaza from afar, but in the near future, you will have the opportunity to witness it firsthand."
Friends and relatives gather at the funeral of Ofir Libstein, former head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, who lost his life during the Kibbutz Kfar Aza attack in Even Yehuda, Israel, on Wednesday, October 18.
A Palestinian man inspects a destroyed house belonging to the Al-Jazzar family after an airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 18.
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People mourn a family during a funeral in Hod HaSharon, Israel, on October 18.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US President Joe Biden, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, gather on the left side as they await the commencement of the Israeli war cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv on October 18.
President Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on October 18.
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Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17.
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A bakery prepares rations of bread to pass out to displaced Palestinians in the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza, on October 17.
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On Tuesday, October 17, amidst the wreckage caused by an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, Gaza, civil defense members and residents come together to engage in search and rescue operations. Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu/Getty Images.
Street vendors work on a darkened street without power in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 16.
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People hold Israeli flags as friends and family mourn Dor Reder at his funeral in Beit Kama, southern Israel, on October 16.
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People prepare to board a ship that will transport US nationals and their immediate family members from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus on October 16.
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Israeli army soldiers patrol at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15.
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Antonio Macías' mother weeps beside her son's lifeless body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15th. Macías tragically lost his life during an Israeli music festival earlier this month as a result of an attack by Hamas.
Amidst a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, Eli Albag is overcome with emotion, shedding tears as he clutches a photograph of his daughter, Liri. This gathering serves as a plea for the freedom of over 100 Israelis who were taken captive during the recent Hamas attack, a poignant display of solidarity on October 14.
An Israeli soldier looks inside a house that was overrun by Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel, on October 13.
Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13.
Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on October 13.
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13.
Israeli soldiers patrol near Kibbutz Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
An Israeli soldier patrols near the Nova music festival grounds near Be'eri, Israel, on October 12.
Palestinians seek shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza, after a house next door was hit by an Israeli airstrike on October 12.
Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12.
An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, October 11.
People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11.
Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11.
A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11.
On October 10, in the village of Kfar Aza, located in Israel just across the Gaza border, Israeli soldiers can be seen carrying a body. The Israel Defense Forces reported to CNN that Hamas militants committed a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their weekend assaults.
On October 10, in Ashkelon, Israel, people gathered to mourn at the grave of Eden Guez during her funeral. She tragically lost her life while attending a music festival that was targeted by terrorists from Gaza. Israeli authorities have confirmed that at least 260 individuals lost their lives in the horrific attack at the Nova Festival.
Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10.
Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10.
People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10.
A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9.
Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9.
People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9.
Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9.
Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9.
A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9.
Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9.
Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9.
An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9.
Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8.
A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8.
An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8.
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Humanitarian organizations have reported deteriorating conditions in Gaza, with civil order on the verge of collapse. Urgent appeals for a ceasefire have been made to enable the much-needed aid to reach the region. Following his visit to Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini expressed that the magnitude of the tragedy is unparalleled.
CNNs Ivana Kottasova and Zeena Saifi contributed reporting.
