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Posted By admin on January 20, 2022

Confined to the Gaza Strip for more than two decades, Yosef Nassar was unable to say goodbye to his mother as she died.

After finally being given an Israeli ID card, the 67-year-old now hopes he can travel from the coastal Palestinian enclave.

Mr Nassar is one of about 3,200 Gazans approved by Israel to receive an identity number.

The announcement means thousands of people will receive ID cards and Palestinian passports, the Palestinian Authority said last month.

This may allow them to leave Gaza through Egypt, or apply for permits to travel via Israel.

A retired PA official, Mr Nassar had lived without such paperwork because he left in 1967 and worked across the Middle East for more than three decades.

Palestinians who were abroad when Israel conducted a census to give residents identity numbers in 1967, after the Arab-Israeli war, were not included in the database.

I came to Gaza through the Rafah border [with Egypt] in 1999 and applied for the national identity number for myself, my wife and children and got the approval last month, Mr Nassar said.

Six of his relatives have died outside of Gaza since he reached the enclave.

Mohammad Abu Hasira, 23, in his office in Gaza City, is still waiting for approval. Majd Mahmod for The National

"My mother died in Jordan and I couldnt say goodbye to her, I wanted to feel her kiss and hug her but I couldnt, he added.

But where to go, when the world suddenly becomes available to you? Mr Nassar said he will apply for an Israeli permit to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem.

The situation has also affected his son, Sohail, who was unable to take up a scholarship to study Fine Arts at Pratt University in the US five years ago because he didnt have a passport to leave Gaza.

The freelance graphic designer has also struggled to find work, because job applications often require an ID number.

My happiness cant be described, now its OK because I am officially a Palestinian resident, said the 26-year-old, whose frien

ds came to congratulate him.

In two weeks I will be handed my ID, then I will apply for a passport and try to leave Gaza for tourism, he added.

While the Nasser family and others will soon receive their paperwork, thousands more are still waiting.

Jerusalem's Old City with the Dome of the Rock in the Al Aqsa mosque compound. AFP

Gisha, an Israeli NGO which focuses on Palestinians right to movement, said it is aware of 6,000 more requests.

There could be thousands more, said Miriam Marmur, Gishas spokeswoman.

"It's hard to tell exactly how many people still face this issue, she added.

Even for those who receive the necessary paperwork, there is a high chance they will be rejected when applying to cross the Israeli border.

"It's very important for people to be allowed to register and receive IDs, but it's very important to highlight that the larger problem has been created by Israeli policies which are still in place, said Ms Marmur.

Mohammed Abu Hassira, 23, applied for an ID in August and hopes to be included in the next batch of approvals.

Ive faced a lot of obstacles in Gaza because I didnt have an ID. For example, I couldnt buy a SIM card for my mobile or cash a bank cheque, he said.

Mr Abu Hassira came to Gaza with his family in 2011 through a tunnel under the Egyptian border, during a period when it was difficult to cross without Palestinian paperwork.

Receiving an ID could enable him to be reunited with his siblings for the first time in more than a decade.

I cant visit any of my relatives. I have sisters in Jordan, they cant come to Gaza and we cant go to visit them, he said.

Palestinian workers clear the rubble of Al Jawhara Tower in Gaza City's Al Rimal neighbourhood. AFP

Updated: January 20th 2022, 3:01 AM

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Thousands of Palestinians receive IDs from Israel, opening up work and travel - The National

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