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Photo: (MaanImages/File)
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GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained three Palestinian merchants at the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, a Palestinian liaison official said.

The three had obtained merchant's permits prior to crossing.

An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an she was unaware of any arrests made at the Erez crossing on Tuesday.

Merchants are regularly detained at the Erez crossing, allegedly for smuggling in materials forbidden by Israel to enter the Gaza Strip. Erez is the only Israeli crossing open to people; other crossings are dedicated solely to goods.

"The Erez crossing has become a trap for Gaza merchants who have newly received entry permits from Israel," a Palestinian liaison official told Ma'an in early March, in response to a recent increase in merchant detainment by Israel.

The prohibition on certain materials comes as part of the 8-year blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel.

The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and economic hardship for Gazans, worsened by the most recent war between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza strip last summer.

It was their third conflict in less than five years, following an eight-day bombardment in 2012 and a 22-day war in late 2008 and early 2009, taking a massive toll on infrastructure across the coastal enclave.