An Israeli rights group says the country's High Court of Justice has rejected its petition to ease restrictions on Palestinians traveling through Erez crossing, the main pedestrian border crossing linking Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Gisha, an Israeli group advocating for greater freedom of movement for Gazans, maintains the ban on travel with basic necessities is "arbitrary and illegal."
"The state is obligated to find a reasonable balance between Israel's security needs and its responsibilities toward civilians under its control, passing through its crossings," the group said in its petition.
Last year Israel, citing security concerns, imposed new restrictions, including a ban on laptops, on Palestinians exiting Gaza.
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Hamas terrorist group usurped control of the coastal enclave from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in a military coup.
Both maintain the measure is necessary to prevent Hamas from smuggling weapons and terrorists into Gaza.
