Ahead of the Ramadan month and Eid al Fitr, HaMoked
wrote to the military concerning the holiday visits by Israelis to their relatives living in the Gaza Strip. HaMoked pointed out the
continuous violation of the right to family life caused by the harsh military criteria for the entry of Israelis to Gaza; HaMoked further asserted that Israel’s routine claim of security considerations justifying this injurious policy was inconsistent with the fact that Israel allows the entry of people into Gaza in various contexts, including Israelis’ visits to Gaza under the “
divided families” procedure.
In its
response from July 4, 2016, the military announced its refusal to allow family visits during the holidays. As usual, the military explained the refusal was due to “exacerbation of the security risk posed by the exit of Israelis to the Gaza Strip”.