(New York Times) Iyad Abuheweila and Adam Rasgon - With demand for masks and protective gear soaring worldwide, Gaza garment factories have been flooded with new orders since early March by merchants from Israel. Apparel was once a pillar of the Gaza economy, with 900 factories employing 36,000 Palestinians. But the industry all but collapsed in 2007 when Hamas seized control of Gaza. After the 2014 Gaza war, Israeli authorities permitted Gazan apparel makers to resume exports. By 2019, 200 clothing factories employed 6,000 workers. A dozen factories have now begun turning out masks and protective wear, several of them hiring new employees.
2020-05-04 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive