Industry in Gaza Strip

Gaza Strip is famous for soap making, pottery, embroidery, yarn, and traditional cattle rugs. In addition, cotton and textile industry, glass industry and the bamboo furniture industry.

The industrial sector is represented by the Palestinian Federation of Industries (PFI). The PFI advocates for better industrial policies and regulations and works on developing and upgrading industrial performance. The federation started its work in 1999 [1].

The industry is playing an important role in the economic and social well being of the Palestinian society. It employs about 13% of the total workforce and it contributes 16% to the GDP [1].

The Palestinian industrial sector is categorized by its wide variety of products and interrelated sub-sector branches. The sector lacks severely the adequate continuously available raw materials for the sustainability of the sector. However, it has a great advantage of the dedicated hard-working and resilient business community [1]

Metal industry

The metal industry in Gaza Strip is comprised of several diversified fields. For example, metal doors, aluminum profiles, iron, and steel rods and drawing, welding and abrasive materials, nails and steel rods, metal furniture, scales, stone machinery, packaging machinery, lathing, agricultural machinery, municipal containers, kitchen wear, electric circuit boards, and other specialized workshops.

Chemical Industries

Chemical Industries in Gaza Strip is comprised of three major categories; paints and ink, detergents and cosmetics. Traditional olive oil soap products are sometimes classified as traditional industries.

Construction Industry

The construction industries mostly consist of five main areas and hence the types of products. These are ready mix concrete, bricks, stone crushers, asphalt products, cement precast manholes, cement pipes, carpe stone and cement tiles.

Handicraft and Traditional Industries

The Gaza strip consists of a wide range of products. These are classified as oriental handicrafts; olive wood carving, mother of pearl, ceramics, glassworks. In addition,  pottery, embroidery, carpet knitting, wax, and other hand works.

Textile Industries

Textile Industries in Gaza is composed mainly of textile, garment and clothing production, dying, wool wear, and other accessories.

Stone and Marble Industries

The main composites of final products are external cladding, internal cladding. In addition, tiles, cut to size products, decorative products, special products (flamed, antiqued …) and tomb products.

Food Industry

The food industry in Gaza strip consists of a diverse group of products, These are Meats, Vegetables (fresh and frozen), oils and fats.
In addition, flour mills, Animal feed, Chocolates and confectionaries, water and soft drinks, chips and snacks, and others.

Plastic Industry

The Gaza Strip consists of a wide range of plastic industry products. For example, plastic pipes and fittings, sanitation fittings, plastic bags and sacks . In addition different size and multi-purpose plastic containers, drinking water containers and others.

Paper Industries

The sector composite includes: printing houses and presses, paper manufacturers (sanitation paper and diapers). In addition newspapers, cardboard and carton box manufactures, bookbinders, pre and post print services and advertisement and promotion firms.

Industrial Environment

The Palestinian industry is operating under difficult political conditions. The Israeli occupation is not mandating full responsibility to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to fully control its economy [1].

References

[1] The Current Status of Industrial Sector in Palestine, USAID