Lived in Gaza in 2014 and 2015
Yes, Palestinians can leave Gaza, but there are a great many challenges that must be faced to leave.
- They need to secure visas from the countries that they wish to visit. This can be challenging since there are only a couple of international governments who maintain offices in the Gaza Strip.
- Should a Palestinian need to visit a foreign embassy in Israel or in Egypt for a visa interview, they need to apply to Israel or to Egypt to enter the countries for that visa interview. Visa interviews for the United States, for instance, are held at the U.S. consular offices in Jerusalem. Securing approval to enter Israel from Gaza is not easy to secure and many people who apply for this entry permit are denied. So it can be very difficult.
- There are a number of countries that allow Palestinians to enter them for general tourism without a visa, but many, many countries require advance application for Palestinians. Visa applications can often be denied without explanation.
- So yes, Palestinians can leave Gaza if they have organized a passport, visas, and travel documents to transit Israel or Egypt, but the process of securing all of these documents can be very, very challenging.
I have many friends who have applied to leave Gaza via Israel. Some have secured the necessary approvals, but many, many more have been denied.
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