Gaza economy slightly improves in 2011

The Gaza Strip economy has witnessed a slight improvement in 2011, a report conducted by Gaza Chamber of Commerce said Saturday. The situation in Gaza has been remarkably improved due to the international pressure on Israel to relax the five year blockade on the enclave since Israeli troops killed eight Turkish nationals and one U.S. national of Turkish descent onboard an aid ship that was attempting to reach Gaza in May last year, the report said. "Such pressure has helped alleviate the blockade," said the report. According to the report, the number of trucks loaded with goods coming into Gaza through Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave has increased from 100 to 250 each day. It added that the unemployment rate in Gaza has dropped from 37 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2011, thanks to the reconstruction process in Gaza. The report also showed that Israel still imposed restrictions on foreign currencies into Gaza, which caused a severe cash crisis. Israel placed Gaza under a tight blockade after Islamic Hamas movement, which Israel considers a terror group, violently seized the enclave from its rival Fatah party in 2007.