After weeks of rejection, Israel allowed Thursday four Arab-Israeli women to rejoin their families in the Gaza Strip.
The women, who are part of Palestinians who had lost their homes in 1948, had gotten married to men from the Gaza Strip, and relocated to the territory.
Israel admits there are 200 families with similar cases. They were allowed to visit their parents in Galilee and Negev after presenting special permits from the Civil Administration. However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, Israel shut down its border with the Gaza Strip.
This resulted in many Palestinians separated from their families. Many Arab-Israelis living in the Gaza Strip can’t visit their parents in Israel. While others have visited their families in Israel and got stranded there.
Israeli non-profit organization ‘Gisha’ resorted to Israel’s Supreme Court and requested the authorities to allow the four women to access Gaza and rejoin their families. Among them is a mother of seven children, a mother of four, a woman who has two children, and another who has one child. The attorneys showed videos in which the children were seen crying and asking for their mothers.
Before the court’s final decision, the Israeli army envoy said that an agreement was reached with the women to return to the Gaza Strip and not to come back to Israel unless they agree to stay in a 14-day quarantine.
Earlier, Gisha led a judicial battle against the Israeli government because of the policies of separation and control practiced on Palestinian families. Some regulations are being used by the Israeli authorities to curb Palestinians’ movements and control their lives, the organization stated.
