A day trip to Gaza

[Lobster]

The other day I had to take a day trip to Gaza. So I thought I would post an alternative trip report to Gaza. I’m afraid I do not have many photos as you are not allowed to take photos anywhere near the Erez crossing point into Gaza, so I hope my written skills are good enough to get across what it is like.

So at about 8.30am I pull into the car park at Erez and walk to the little checkpoint outside the terminal. Here you walk through a metal detector and go up to a little booth where they check that you have clearance to cross Erez. You have to get two types of clearance from the Israel Defence Force (IDF). Firstly at least two Ieks before you go you have to get security clearance, this lasts for 6 months but is normally only for a single entry. Then at least 48hrs before going you have to tell the IDF the exact date and time you intend to cross. I guess it is like getting a visa but is rather unusual as it is the country you are leaving issuing it rather than the one you are going to.

The Terminal Building at Erez


Once past this initial check I proceed towards the terminal building. Outside the terminal there are 4 or 5 heavily armed members of the Israeli security forces. They are all dressed in rather scruffy civilian clothes and of course wearing shades. They are also all extremely trigger happy with their fingers constantly on the trigger. The terminal was designed to cope with 10,000 people a day, at the moment there are more like 10 people a day crossing so it was totally deserted. I walk up to one of the passport control desks and hand over my passport. I then have to sit down whilst they take away my passport. Sometimes it can be over an hour before they come back but today I am lucky and they are back in about 10 minutes and I am called up to passport control. They ask why I am going to Gaza, who I work for etc. Then spend ages typing stuff into their computers and stamping bits of paper. Finally I get my passport back and with a final “have a nice day” from the officer I am on my way. I follow the signs saying ‘to Gaza’ and having gone through a turn style I walk down to the wall which separates Israel from Gaza. At Erez they have build some solid metal doors into the wall so you can get through. The doors are of course kept shut so I have to wait. Luckily it is only a couple of minutes before one of the doors slides open as if by magic and I enter Gaza. However I still have a long way to go before I am in Gaza proper.

There is short path fenced in on both sides that leads down to what is referred to as the tunnel. Although in reality it is two 8 metre high concrete walls with a tarpaulin over the top. The tunnel just takes you away from the border so that when you get out the end if you decide to double back and head towards the border wall the Israeli’s have time to take action to stop you. I enter the tunnel and there is another gate again closed. I have to wait for about 5 minutes for the Israeli control centre to open it. It is then a 200m walk to the end of the tunnel and I get my first sight of Gaza proper. Which has to be said is grim; the Israeli’s have cleared a 500 metre stretch on the other side. So it is now just a wasteland with demolished houses to one side and churned up farm land on the other. Cars are not allowed here so I have to walk across to where hopefully my driver will be waiting for me.

What is left of Khamsa Khamsa village


I get to Khamsa Khamsa which is the Palestinian side of the crossing and there is no sign of our car. I call our staff and ask where they are to find they are only just leaving the office. I have to say I am not impressed by this, not only is it a waste of time but as you will see later in the report this is not the safest place on the earth to be hanging around Finally he shows up and I am off into the Gaza strip.

[Lobster]

The return crossing

Some street scenes from Gaza




After a good day I arrive back at Khamsa Khamsa at about 4pm and go to the Palestinian passport control. This is just and old guy sitting in an old hut who looks at your passport and calls the Israeli’s to warn them that you are coming, not that it is really necessary as I still have to contact the IDF myself. So I head off across the 500m of cleared ground. I am a little bit nervous as the last time I crossed here the Israeli’s had shot at a group of Palestinians near where I was walking. Anyway I get to the tunnel without incident and walk down it until I get to the gate at the end. It of course is closed so there is nothing I can do but wait. Then suddenly there is a loud BOOM followed by another BOOM and then another. I wonder what is going on and then realise that one of the Palestinian militant groups has decided to fire mortars at the crossing. The gate is still closed so I cannot go on. The last thing I want to do is head back into the open with mortars dropping so all I can do is sit there and hope none of them land in the tunnel itself (remember it only had a tarpaulin roof so nothing to stop them). There must have been about 6 or 7 mortars landing and then it was quiet. I had to wait for about another 15 minutes before the gate finally opened. I walked up the path to the wall. Again the solid metal gates in the wall are shut luckily this time I only had to wait for a couple of minutes before one of them slid open. On the other side there is a metal detector and then through a turn style and it is on up to the terminal building itself.

On entering the terminal there is a wall with a series of turn styles in it. The end one had a green light above it so I headed for that one and went through to a room where there is one end of the scanning machine. You have to put all your belongings into a tray. This means emptying your pockets completely, take your belt off, if you have a bag you have to empty the contents of the bag (notice LHR/TSA even here you do not have to take your shoes off). Then it’s off to the next door. Wait for the light to turn green and go through to the next room. There is nothing here you just have to wait for the light above the door in front of you to turn green and then it is through to the next room. In this room there is a standard metal detector. If you set it off then you are sent back to put the offending item through the scanning machine. During the whole process the only human contact you have is seeing the Israeli security personnel on a gantry way above you safe behind some serious toughened glass. There are speakers and microphones in each room so they can communicate with you. Then after the metal detector it is through to another room again with nothing it. So when the light goes green you enter a room with one of these scanners which basically show you naked. You have to stand with your feet perfectly on the marks on the floor with your hands up in the air. The scanning only takes a couple of seconds and then the door on the other side of the scanner opens and you enter another room. Here there are three doors in front of you. When a green light appears above one of the doors you enter that room. These are the holding rooms whilst they examine the results of your scan. If you pass the normal green light appears over the door in front of you and you enter a room where the end of the scanning machine is. Some trays come ou and go round a conveyor belt here but most go on for a hand search as well. My tray had gone on for a hand search. I exited the room through a turn style and on the other side there is a table where they hand search items. However of course there was no one there. I wait for about 10 minutes and then one of the security staff show up. However he is just to provide security for the staff member who will do the search. This person shows up in about another 5 minutes. However they just sit there seems that they have to wait for a porter to carry the trays from the end of the scanner to the table. He finally arrives and the security guy opens the door and makes sure no one has sneaked through the scanner and is waiting to attack them on the other side of the door. It’s all clear so the porter carried the tray over to the table. It gets a very quick hand search and I have finally made it through security.

So all that is left is the immigration process, I go around the corner to where the passport control booths are. I go up to the booth a quick Shalom and I hand over my passport. The immigration guy goes through it page by page staring at every single stamp in there. The trouble was not only did he stare at every stamp but he also pulled a face when looking at each one. This I found rather funny and I started to feel a bit of a giggling fit coming on. Luckily I managed to keep it under control. Finally he asked me the normal questions i.e. what am I going to do in Israel, how long will I be staying, where will I be staying. Entered more stuff into his computer, stamped more bits of paper and I was through.

[jhm]

Wow, a really unusual and interesting report! Thanks, Lobster!

How long does it take to pass through everything (assuming green lights along the way) ? It must be more than an hour in total ?

[SQflyergirl]

Extremely interesting report - thanks very much

[KeithMEL]

Thanks for the most fascinating and insightful trip report.

[Lobster]

Wow, a really unusual and interesting report! Thanks, Lobster!

How long does it take to pass through everything (assuming green lights along the way) ? It must be more than an hour in total ?

It was a total of about 90 minutes from the time I arrived at Khamsa Khamsa until I got back to my car. I was lucky this time as there was no queue.

[StarG]

Thanks for sharing the experience, Lobster.

[nickbot]

Excellent TR, thanks Lobster - fascinating stuff!

[QSG]

Very interesting report.....thanks!

[singaporu_kooku]

Thank you for sharing the experience, Lobster... It's an interesting read from the usual trip reports.

[jjpb3]

Amazing stuff, Lobster.

[SQFAN]

Wow, an interesting and different TR. Lobster, ooh, I noted a few sniper positions. Seriously though, at least the Israeli security force is consistent compared to the British Airport Authority security goons at London Heathrow.

[up and away]

Is this the normal procedure all Palestinians and Israelis have to go through before crossing the border?

Interesting TR by the way!

[9V-JKL]

Great Stuff Lobster Truly out of the ordinary TR

And being in a middle of a fire-fight.......

[MAN Flyer]

Brilliant stuff.

Never a dull moment over there eh....