Israel has announced that it will allow 700 Palestinian Christians from the Gaza Strip to enter the West Bank during the Christmas holiday season.
Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Yoav Mordechai said only those aged below 16 and over 35, will be allowed into Israel and the West Bank during the Christmas holiday.
Mordechai said that Christians living in the West Bank will be given long-term permits for travel into Israel during the holiday season.
As many as 500 Christians from the West Bank will also be allowed to visit first-degree relatives in the Gaza Strip, while 200 others will be given permits to travel through Ben Gurion airport.
He also said Israel has increased the working hours of the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel in order to facilitate the movement.
There are about 2,000 Palestinian Christians living in the Gaza Strip.