GAZA CITY: New Israeli restrictions on Palestinians exiting the blockaded Gaza Strip have further disrupted travel for the few who are allowed to cross the border into Israel.
The restrictions include a ban on laptop computers, hard-shell suitcases and even toothpaste.
Israel is citing unspecified security concerns as the reason for forcing engineers, businessmen and human rights workers to leave their electronic work tools behind. But for those affected, the restrictions are unfair, inexplicable and mean new headaches in the struggles of daily life in Gaza.
Ahmed Abu Shahla, who works for an intellectual property firm in the United Arab Emirates, says the decision affects people "in all directions."
Abu Shahla was recently forced to leave his laptop behind when he returned to the Gulf after visiting his family in Gaza.