Four years have passed since the return marches that broke out on the Gaza Strip border, events that have meanwhile been archived and recorded as another footnote in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But in recent days, Gaza has begun to recall those demonstrations and warn of their recurrence.
The background to this is Israel's decision last week to close the Erez crossing to the entry of workers and merchants.
Erez crossing in the Gaza Strip, Photo: Dudu Greenspan, Archive
A Gazan trader told Israel Today: "These people all received permits, they do not carry out terrorist attacks. How is Gaza different from Judea and Samaria? Why in Judea and Samaria do you open the crossings and let almost 120,000 workers go to work, while in Gaza the Erez crossing is almost closed? "You want to punish Hamas in Gaza, but there is also Hamas in the West Bank and there are terrorist attacks. Leave the people in Gaza, let them make a living."
According to the merchant, "If Israel wants to impose punishment on the Hamas regime in Gaza, closing the Erez crossing is not the way. It does not interest Hamas and it will not put pressure on Hamas, on the contrary. Hamas does not care about the people in Gaza. It cares about its people, they have salaries. "He also continues to collect taxes on goods coming in from the Rafah, gas, diesel, gasoline crossings, and put money into himself. The people are the poor, whole families who want to make a living."
The recent expansion of the number of Gaza workers who have received permits to work in Israel has begun to create an economically positive atmosphere in the Gaza Strip.
"Every such worker provides not only for his wife and children. It goes as far as the distant family, sometimes even helping his neighbors. Such a person cannot hate the one who provides for him.
"But when there is no money the rush begins. At the end you will see them on the border. Do you want the demonstrations to return to the fence to return?"
It is estimated that more than 150,000 workers in the Gaza Strip are unemployed.
Those who managed to find employment earn about NIS 40-30 per day, compared to a salary of about NIS 300 per day at work in Israel.
"Let them go to work," the merchant asks.
"This is good for Israel and helps peace. Those who have recently let them leave Gaza to work say good things about Israel. It is not an enemy for them. Some of these people hate Hamas, so you want to lose them too?
"Even those who oppose Hamas here do not dare to open their mouths against it, and so it turns out that in the end the accusation regarding the economic losses caused by the closure of the crossing is directed at Israel instead of against it."
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