As the Palestinian Authority (PA) has yet to lift the sanctions it has imposed on the Gaza Strip since March 2017, Hamas took control Feb. 17 of the Kerem Abu Salem border crossing with Israel, Gaza’s only trade crossing. The PA employees at the crossing withdrew following a dispute with Hamas security services over procedures.
Hamas had handed control of Kerem Abu Salem to the PA as part of an October 2017 reconciliation agreement, which has reached an impasse.