Israel has allowed about 20 cars into Gaza in the first such shipment since the militant Hamas movement took over the Strip in 2007. No cars have been legally imported into the territory since Israel tightened its economic blockade soon after that. Cars have been smuggled through tunnels from Egypt since then. In recent months, Israel has eased the blockade of Gaza but exports are still banned and most people are not allowed to leave the territory. Although Gaza's economy grew 16 per cent in the first half of 2010, the IMF said the growth followed years of sanctions that had all but devastated the economy. Four out of five of the territory's 1.5 million residents rely on foreign aid and unemployment remains at 37 pr cent which is one of the highest rates in the world.