After Three Years, Goods Permitted into Gaza Found Destroyed

Last week, "Israeli" officials announced an easing of a ban on clothing items that would soon be permitted to enter the Strip; stocks relegated to storage units in Ashdod since 2007 were finally set to be transferred in.

A report by Ma'an news agency revealed that Gaza merchants were shocked when received the goods on Thursday to find out that most of their goods were damaged beyond repair.

Merchants who gained permission to import goods into Gaza, but then discovered that their wares were not on the list of the less than 50 items permitted into the coastal enclave under "Israel's" blockade, were forced to pay to store the goods in shipping containers in the "Israeli" port of Ashdod.

Khan Younis clothing retailer Khaled Abu Sahlul said he was devastated when he unpacked a container of jeans stored in Ashdod since 2007. "I was shocked when I opened the containers, the jeans had been left out in the rain for days, months, maybe even years and were damaged beyond repair."

Abu Sahul estimated that 80% of his order was not fit for sale, "What am I going to do with 35,000 pairs of soiled jeans?" he asked.

In addition to the cost of the clothing, Abu Sahul said he paid 1,700 shekels (461 US dollars) per month over the last year to store the merchandise. "I thought I was paying that much to make sure the clothes were out of the rain," he said.

The merchant estimated his losses at more than half a million shekels (136,000 US dollars), and despairs at the thought that the nine other containers he is still paying to store in Ashdod are similarly ruined.

Palestinian crossings liaison officer in Gaza Raed Fattouh said officials in Ramallah sent a letter of protest to "Israeli" officials in light of reports like Abu Sahul, who is just one of dozens of merchants reporting damaged goods.

The letter demanded compensation for the damages, as well as storage fees, but Fattouh was not optimistic that shop owners would see reparations in the near future.