Flower shipment departs Gaza strip

Israel has allowed a shipment of flowers to leave the Gaza Strip, in a rare movement of goods out of the coastal territory.

Thursday's shipment entered Israel through a crossing at the border with Gaza. The delivery was bound for the Netherlands. It's the second floral shipment Israel has allowed this year.

The export of flowers is a vital component of the Strip's local economy. Israel has enforced a crippling border blockade, along with Egypt, barring exports from the area.

The embargo has been in effect since the 2007 Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian women sort flowers in a greenhouse in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009.(AP Photo/Eyad Baba)