Located at the northern most end of the Gaza Strip, the Beit Hanoun Terminal serves as the main crossing point between Gaza and Israel. Palestinian workers, diplomatic officials, humanitarian aid workers, NGO staff, journalists, and people seeking medical attention inside Israel, all use this crossing on a daily basis. 

People waiting outside Beit Hanoun Terminal

The terminal is currently in a severe state of disrepair on the Palestinian side. Waiting times for those crossing can last from hours to days. There are currently no seating areas, no functioning restroom facilities, faulty lighting, and a substandard level of sanitation throughout. People are often forced to wait on the ground outside the terminal exposed to blazing sun, drizzling rain or cold winds for extended periods of time. Because this is the only entry and exit point for people crossing from the Gaza Strip to Israel, people have no choice but to suffer under the current conditions at the terminal.

Palestinians crossing inside Beit Hanoun Terminal

In Phase I of the restoration JumpStart will repair the terminal itself. Large sections of the metal tin roof will be replaced, new lighting will be installed throughout, walls will be restored and painted, all toilet facilities refurbished, new ceramic and concrete floors will be installed running the entire length of the terminal, the guards’ offices and prayer room will also be renovated. 

In Phase II of the restoration JumpStart will clean large areas adjacent to the terminal by clearing concrete and metal debris, leveling the area, installing paved walkways, repairing parking lots and re-landscaping the area with native vegetation.   

Current state of facilities inside terminal

Waiting area outside terminal

The Beit Hanoun terminal restoration project will help improve the local economic situation in Northern Gaza by providing jobs to the desperately poor and unemployed throughout the surrounding community. The population of Beit Hanoun is roughly 40,000 with many of the residents formerly working as farm help in Israel. In the process of restoring the terminal and adjacent areas JumpStart will employ 30 workers for 2 months during Phase I, generating 1,560 working days. During Phase II, 40 workers will be employed for 2 months generating 2,080 working days.

Restoring and improving the Beit Hanoun terminal will not only improve access for people crossing to and from Gaza, but will establish a humane and sanitary environment, provide a positive image to those crossing, and generate employment and income for local residents. 

JumpStart workers preparing for Erez renovation work

Work is proceeding on the Gaza Polytechnic Institute in Khan Younis. As the winter rains begin to taper off, work is gaining momentum with JumpStart workers beginning the roof renovations and new roof installations on the four existing buildings. Seasonal rains slowed things down a bit, but did not hamper the spirit of JumpStart workers here. Within the next month JumpStart will also begin the plumbing and electrical work, repairing the walls, installing new doors, windows and floors.

Existing Buildings Prior to Renovation Work

JumpStart’s restoration of a portion of this former Israeli settlement is providing employment and training opportunities for local residents, while the completed Polytechnic Institute will provide advanced education and training for students in technology related fields.

Like the majority of the 1.4 million Palestinians struggling to survive in the Gaza Strip, JumpStart workers have been deeply affected by the recent internal conflicts resulting from increased political disagreements within the Palestinian government. Work was suspended briefly at the end of January when people were forced to remain inside their homes due to armed street clashes.  

Women's Unity Rally in Gaza City

In an effort to put an end to the infighting, Palestinian leaders signed an agreement on February 8^th 2007 to form a new National Unity Government. Ecstatic Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza to celebrate after the agreement was signed. Streets were bursting with jubilant supporters cheering, waving flags and carrying banners, lighting fireworks and chanting songs of unity and peace. “We are so fortunate that the agreement has been signed, and we have peace on the streets now, ilhumdallah (‘thank God’) it is safe to travel to and from work so I can earn money to support myself and my family” says JumpStart employee Imad Faris who lives in Khan Younis refugee camp.  

Markets Reopen after Unity Agreement Signed

Although the formation of the National Unity Government has brought relative calm and stability to streets of Gaza, Palestinian’s here realize that without recognition by the international community, particularly the United States, their new government will not have a chance to succeed. “The support of the United States and the European Union is like the oxygen that will allow the government to live, it needs this oxygen to survive and without it, our Unity Government will not have the power to succeed,” says JumpStart site supervisor Mr. Al-Nakhale. 

The Palestinian people have paid a brutally high price and have made enormous sacrifices over the past year in order for this government to be established. More than 130 Palestinians have been killed as a result of the infighting over the past year. “The Palestinian people and the political leaders have worked very hard to create this Unity Government and it has not been an easy road” says Al-Nakhale. “We are living in a kind of blackness here, the Unity Government is our hope of light, but it is only through the recognition from the West that this light will be illuminated”.