Israelis stranded in Gaza blocked from returning due to bureaucratic stalemate |
Seven Israelis who traveled to the Gaza Strip shortly before the war and remained there with their families are now unable to return to Israel, despite being legally entitled to do so, after Israeli authorities failed for months to coordinate their entry, according to a Monday report.
The group — six women and one man ranging in age from 4 to 67 — includes six Israeli citizens and one East Jerusalem resident, all of whom are registered in Israel’s population registry.
More than two months ago, they submitted a formal request to return to Israel through the human rights organization, Gisha, but the request has not advanced due to a bureaucratic standoff between state bodies, Haaretz reported Monday.
At the heart of the issue is a dispute between the Population and Immigration Authority and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) over which agency is responsible for initiating the process that would allow the group to safely exit Gaza during the current ceasefire.
The seven reportedly left Israel a few weeks before the war under the “divided families” procedure, which applies to families in which one partner is an Israeli citizen or resident and the other is a Gaza resident. Until Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, movement under this framework was routine.
Departures and returns were handled through the Erez Crossing by the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, which operates under COGAT. Exit requests were typically approved within weeks, Israeli identity documents were deposited at the........