Thousands of Palestinians Authority residents from Judea and Samaria entered pre-'67 Israel to work on Sunday after weeks of absence over fears of contracting the coronavirus as the pandemic's spread slowed.
An Israeli security official said that as of the morning, some 11,500 Palestinian Authority residents with permits had entered pre-1967 Israel and Israeli industrial zones in Judea and Samaria for work in construction, agriculture and industry only.
A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority's labor ministry said that a total of 40,000 workers had permission to cross during the course of Sunday and Monday to work in Israel for one month, mostly in the construction and agriculture fields.
The spokesman, Rami Mehdawi, said that according to the agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, employers would have to provide workers with sanitary accommodation and health insurance.
On March 25, Palestinian Authority premier Mohammed Shtayyeh called on laborers in Israel to return to the PA as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
By then Israel had 2,369 cases of the virus, compared to just 62 in the Palestinian Authority, and the crossings were closed by agreement between both sides, forcing laborers who wished to continue working in pre-'67 Israel to remain at home.
Around 40,000 workers chose to do so.
The latest decision to allow laborers in was reached jointly with the Palestinian Authority and aimed at ensuring "they would not lose their jobs and would be able to continue supporting their families," an Israeli security official said.
Those entering would not be able to return to their homes in Judea and Samaria until Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in three weeks time.
The numbers of Israelis infected by the coronavirus has declined significantly, with the health ministry reporting just 41 new cases over the past 24 hours on Sunday, with 16,193 infections and 230 mortalities since the beginning of the outbreak in the country.
Some 120,000 Palestinian Authority residents worked in Israel and Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria prior to the outbreak.