Hamas requires in-advance permission for foreigners to enter Gaza

The de facto government of Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Monday demanded that any foreigner who wants to enter the coastal enclave should apply for an in-advance permission. The Hamas ministry of interior said in a statement published on its website that the measures are applicable on all foreigners who want to visit or stay in the Gaza Strip. "We call on all non-Palestinian foreigners who want to visit in the Gaza Strip to apply to the ministry for a permission one week before arriving," said the statement. "The permission will be valid for one month after it is issued, " it said, adding that "those who want to stay in Gaza for more than one week have to refer to the foreign affairs and visa department." The measures will go in force Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that "these measures were made to ensure the foreigners' stay in Gaza and facilitate their work." "The role of foreign visitors to the Gaza Strip is so important to back the fair Palestinian cause on all social, economic and media levels and also to show the suffering of the residents due to five years of blockade," said the ministry. Meanwhile, a Hamas press office said that regulations on foreign journalists' entry into the Gaza Strip will be detailed in another official statement to be issued later. The regulations, the first such measures carried out by Hamas since it seized control of the Gaza Strip by force in June 2007, have been criticized by international journalist groups as restrictions on journalists.