Fouad Homeid, head of the vehicles, spare parts, and heavy machinery committee of Gaza, said in a statement that Israeli authorities allowed last Wednesday six 2002 model Skoda brand taxis to be imported into the Gaza Strip for the first time in nine years. The taxis were imported via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Homeid noted that six taxis entered the Gaza Strip, with 36 more approved for entry and waiting to cross.
The entry was coordinated with the Israeli authorities, the Palestinian Ministry of Transportation in Ramallah, and the staff of the ministry in the Gaza Strip.
Kerem Shalom Crossing is located in the southern Gaza Strip, near the Israeli-Palestinian-Egyptian border, 3.6 km from the Rafah crossing.
Kerem Shalom is one of the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, used for the transfer of goods from Israel and into Gaza. People also use the crossing for a variety of reasons including for medical care in Israel.
Kerem Shalom allows the transfer of hundreds of trucks daily carrying goods sent by the Red Cross, UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), the UN World Food Program (WFP), the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority as well as Palestinian and independent traders.
