Gaza – Ma'an – US dollars and Jordanian dinars were available in Gaza banks on Monday, after more than a year near total scarcity, the currencies flooded back into Gaza when Egypt opened its Rafah crossing.


“Attention: Automatic teller machines now have US dollars and Jordanian Dinars,” a sign posted on the wall of one Gaza bank read.


Israel's siege on Gaza prohibited the transport of large amounts of currency into the Strip, making it difficult for officials even to get cash in Israeli shekels, despite desperate efforts by the Palestinian Authority to ensure banks had enough cash to pay workers salaries. On at least one occasion the European union intervened to demand currency enter the coastal enclave.


For more than a year, patrons of Gaza Strip banks could not withdraw cash in commonly used currencies like the US dollar and the Jordanian dinar. In the West Bank, rents and large purchases like lands and homes are often made in dollars, while most universities charge tuition in dinars, and the use of the Israeli shekel is confined to everyday purchases.


Bank patrons were forced to withdraw their cash in shekels, and to make the exchange value from the original deposit currency at bank rates rather than market rates, costing citizens often desperately needed funds in the exchange.


One man waiting in line at an ATM said the announcement was a "good omen indicating that the siege on Gaza has begun to subside," while another customer gave "Thanks to Erdogan and Turkey because the situation has changed after the freedom flotilla."

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