First shipment of cattle into Gaza for 9 months

The first shipment of 350 head of cattle was allowed into the Gaza Strip territory. Thousands of head of livestock were smuggled in from Sinai in recent months
 
Amos Gilad, Israel's military Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), has reportedly allowed the first shipment of 350 head of cattle into the Gaza Strip. The decision followed nine months of beef being embargoed from entering the Gaza Strip. Sources involved in the matter said that the resumption of beef supply to the Gaza Strip is in part the result of U.S. pressure on Israel to lift all restrictions on the importation of various types of foodstuffs into the Strip.
 
The Israeli Defense Ministry was put in charge of administering the sanctions on the population of Gaza following the Israeli Government’s decision on 19 September 2007 to label Gaza an “enemy entity” or “hostile territory”.  
 
Israel's ban on the importation of livestock into Gaza, which has included cattle, sheep and goats, did not succeed in preventing it from being smuggled in. According to Gaza-based sources, hundreds if not thousands of head of livestock were smuggled in from Sinai in recent months, via tunnels.
 
The decision to allow these cattle into Gaza, is also in response to specific Israeli interests. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture’s veterinary services had expressed concern that smuggling of livestock could contribute to the outbreak of contagious animal and human diseases. And the lobby of livestock growers have also complained about damage to their business interests by the Israeli military-administered sanctions on the Gaza Strip.