The Palestinian Ministry of Economy stated today, Thursday, that Bethlehem Governorate has suffered economic losses estimated at millions of shekels in various sectors, especially the tourism sector, since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on the seventh of last October, due to closures and ongoing raids.

The ministry's directorate in Bethlehem mentioned that the Council of Churches decided to ban celebrations for Christmas this year and limit them only to official ceremonies in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour.

It explained that the tourism sector was 100% affected, leading to the closure of tourist restaurants and the suspension of the movement of tourist hotels, and the volume of tourism losses for the governorate recorded millions of shekels.

In the context of economic sectors, the deputy director of the Economy Directorate in Bethlehem Governorate, Mohammed Hmeida, stated that the production capacity of industrial establishments in the governorate decreased by 40%, and the stone and sawmill sector recorded a decrease of 60%.

He added that the commercial service sector was also affected by 60%, and revenues in all sectors decreased by 70%, as did the movement of imports and exports, recording a 50% decrease in imports and a 62% decrease in exports.

In the agricultural sector... Hmeida reported that this sector was heavily affected due to the occupation preventing Palestinian citizens from entering their lands to pick olives, as dozens of farmers have not yet been able to harvest the olive fruits, and farmers were also affected by their inability to reach their lands to cultivate them, especially in areas classified as "C".

The continuous raids by the occupation in the governorate resulted in significant property losses, including the closure of two printing presses in the governorate, the destruction of their contents, and their seizure.

Hmeida added that these raids caused losses in citizens' homes due to destruction or bombing, while the occupation intensified the demolition of homes in areas classified as "C", under the pretext of being illegal... noting that settlers, protected by occupation forces, break citizens' cars and steal their parts, such as engines and batteries.