The Israeli Occupation announced Wednesday that it will issue an additional 3,000 permits to Gaza merchants to enter the Israeli Occupation.

The Coordination of Israeli Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT) said that the number of permits for merchants will be increased from 7,000 to 10,000.

"Permits will only be issued to those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine or have recovered from COVID-19," COGAT added.

Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett opposes a Palestinian state but has said his government is committed to improving living conditions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Permits to trade and work in the Israeli Occupation are a lifeline for the 2.1 million residents of the Gaza Strip who have been suffering from an Israeli Occupation blockade since 2007, the year Hamas took control of the Strip.

Unemployment in Gaza stood at 43 percent before May, when the Israeli Occupation bombed the Strip in response to Hamas and other armed groups firing rockets into Israel.

Jessica Montell, executive director of the Israeli rights group HaMoked, said issuing permits was "extremely important," but only for a small group.

"The broader problem is Israel's closure of the Gaza Strip," she added.