SOME ADDITIONAL TYPES OF GOODS ENTER GAZA, OVERALL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000360 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; PRM FOR WITTEN; NSC FOR SHAPIRO/PASCUAL, TREASURY FOR MOGER/AHERN PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR BORODIN/NANDY/LAUDATO E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/26/2019 TAGS: EAID ECON ETRD PHUM PREL PGOV PTER KWBG IS SUBJECT: SOME ADDITIONAL TYPES OF GOODS ENTER GAZA, OVERALL ACCESS REMAINS STRICTLY LIMITED Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: International assistance agency contacts reported that the GOI has recently approved a slightly broader variety of goods for entry into Gaza. Overall access for goods into Gaza remains strictly limited, however. ConGen contacts said the GOI continues to reject many everyday items with limited, if any, dual use, e.g., toothpaste, shampoo, children's toys, and clothing. The volume of goods entering Gaza since the end of IDF operations has held steady. End summary. Plastic and Paper Enters Gaza -------------- ¶2. (SBU) According to international aid agencies, the GOI slightly liberalized access for humanitarian goods entering Gaza over the last three days. UNRWA's Gaza office said that on February 26, UNRWA received long-sought permission to move nylon pellets for plastic food bags and bulk paper to print school textbooks into Gaza. UNRWA Gaza sources said one truckload of each, the maximum allowed, entered Gaza on February 27. UN agencies also reported that three containers of water treatment equipment for a north Gaza sewage station, approval for which was requested over two years ago, crossed through Kerem Shalom on February 26. Pasta, Lentils, and Chickpeas Approved -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to private transportation industry contacts in Gaza, shipments of pasta, lentils and chickpeas entered on February 26. However, a highly-publicized Mercy Corps shipment of macaroni donated by Qatar remains at the al-Auja/Nitsana border crossing between Egypt and Israel. Sources at Mercy Corps said they will likely distribute the macaroni in Egypt if it is not allowed into Gaza soon. Arab Assistance Stuck in Egypt -------------- ¶4. (SBU) According to transportation contacts in Gaza, about 1,000 truckloads of Arab country donations remain in Egypt for lack of authorization from the PA and Israel to enter Gaza. UNDP reported that 6-8 thousand tons of humanitarian aid are backed up at the El Arish storage area. (Note: Hamas has stated recently it is the rightful recipient of all Arab country donations, so the PA and UNRWA are requiring letters from Arab country donors stating that the donations are intended for UN agencies in Gaza to make clear that Hamas should not take possession of the shipments. End note.) Some School Supplies and Pre-Fab Schools Enter Gaza -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) UN agency sources said some school supplies, including school folders and recreation kits, were delivered this week, following months of prohibition. Other school supplies, like notebooks and sports kits, remain on hold. Fifty-seven boxes of children's toys and 50 early childhood development kits, said UN sources, were disapproved by the GOI. According to Gaza Logistics Cluster sources, nine trucks carrying pre-fabricated schools and 10,000 school kits donated by the United Arab Emirates entered Gaza on February ¶26. Many Other Items Disapproved or On Hold -------------- ¶6. (SBU) UN agencies and NGOs report disapproval of a variety of other items, including: shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, clothing, water purification tablets, pumps, hoses, valves, glass, and flak jackets (supplied by Save the Children). UN agency applications to approve generators, replacement armored vehicles, transport trucks, demolition equipment, telecommunications equipment, protective clothing, flashlights, veterinary drugs and instruments, and other items are on hold. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is seeking the return of communications equipment confiscated by the GOI from ambulances brought into Gaza last week. The ICRC is also still seeking approval for furniture for its offices and items for its water, sanitation, and power rehabilitation projects. UN UXO Project Suspended JERUSALEM 00000360 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (C) According to UN staff, a UNDP project to locate and dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Gaza is suspended because of lack of equipment and threats from Hamas. Project managers said UXO teams entered Gaza several weeks ago, but the GOI has not approved entry of their equipment, including explosive cartridges. The project also lacks a safe site for disposing of UXO. Project managers said Hamas operatives ordered them to suspend UXO activities following media reports that some large UXO stored at Gaza City traffic police headquarters disappeared. Project managers told EconOff that the whereabouts of three 2,000-pound bombs and eight 500-pound bombs removed from the site are unknown. Food Shipments by Truck Steady but Limited -------------- ¶8. (SBU) An average of about 110 truckloads of international assistance agency and private sector food enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom on working days. An additional 30-40 truckloads per working day of bulk wheat and animal feed enter via the conveyor belt at Karni. International aid agency sources said the GOI has shelved plans to expand capacity at Kerem Shalom. Fuel Shipments, Including Through Tunnels, Steady -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Nahal Oz fuel transfer station has been open to limited amounts of industrial fuel for the Gaza power plant, which is producing 65-70 MW of electricity. The GOI has allowed limited shipments of cooking gas into Gaza via Nahal Oz and household demand remains high. Contacts in Gaza said that diesel and gasoline, which the GOI has not allowed through Israel-Gaza border crossings since early November 2008, enter Gaza through the tunnels each day. The price of diesel in Gaza has remained relatively stable at 2.5 NIS/liter since the end of IDF operations, reflecting the steady flow of fuel through the tunnels, according to multiple Gaza contacts. Egyptian fuel pumped through the tunnels is about half the price of equivalent fuel in Israel. WALLES