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Israel announces new travel restrictions for Palestinians leaving Gaza

Israel announced new restrictions on Palestinians leaving the Gaza Strip, citing unspecified security concerns as the reason for forcing engineers, journalists, business people and human rights workers to leave their electronic work tools behind. Israel has identified electronic devices, including computers, as a concerning tool terrorists could use to smuggle explosive devices into the Jewish state. The new restrictions are similar to bans and restrictions that have been enacted in the United States and EU countries, due to intelligence indicating that terror organizations, including the Islamic State, have used electronic devices to smuggle explosives. The new restriction applies to all Palestinians who want to travel to Israel, or through Israel to the West Bank and neighboring Jordan. A security official told TV7 that Hamas and other terror organizations are continually trying to exploit travelers to carry money or information to their people abroad, prompting various bans and restrictions meant to thwart those attempts.