GAZA, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Clothing companies in the Gaza Strip exported on Tuesday the second shipment of clothing to the Israeli markets, following another one on Aug. 29 which marked the first such export since 2007.
Bashir al-Bawab, chairman of Unipal 2000 Company in Gaza, said his company exported 6,000 pieces of clothing from Gaza to Israel through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing point on the borders between southeast Gaza Strip and Israel.
"It is the second truck loaded with clothing exported from the Gaza Strip to Israel in two weeks, the first time that we export clothing made in Gaza sewing factories and Gaza tailors since 2007," said al-Bawab.
In 2007, Israel imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip, and considered the enclave a hostile entity, right after Hamas Islamic movement had forcibly seized control of the coastal enclave.
Before 2007, Israeli clothing merchants and businessmen used to send raw material to Gaza cloth-making factories and tailors, which sent various kinds of products back to the Israeli markets.
Al-Bawab told reporters that his company has agreed to export a shipment of clothing every week from Gaza to Israel, adding that "this would help decrease the high rates of unemployment in the Gaza Strip."
He said the first shipment, which was made late last month, included 3,500 pieces of various kinds of clothing, adding that "this process will go on and we hope that it will help improve the economy in Gaza."
Al-Bawab pointed out that the Israeli side had promised to continue the transfer of subsequent shipments of clothing produced in Gaza to the Israeli market directly.
He wished that the following shipments will be marketed through consignments instead of clearing bills.
For his part, Tayseer al-Oustaz, head of the Federation of the Clothing and Textile Industry, described the entry of the first shipment of clothing into the Israeli market positive.
"Since 2007, no shipment of clothing has been transferred directly to the Israeli market. It was shipped to the West Bank market and taken to the Israeli market. Therefore, we demanded that the Israeli side facilitate the transfer of these products through consignments," said al-Oustaz.
He pointed out that about 25 factories are ready to sell their products to the Israeli market with an expected shipment rate of once a week.
