Suffocating Gaza

More than 1.4 million Palestinian men, women, and children are trapped in the Gaza Strip – in an area of land just 40 kilometres long and 9.5 kilometres wide.

Since the blockade of Gaza was brought into force in June 2007, the five Israeli controlled crossings between Gaza and Israel or the West Bank have been kept closed. The one other land crossing at Rafah, on the border between Gaza and Egypt, is controlled by the Egyptian authorities and kept shut most of the time. The closures prevent the movement of Palestinians into and out of Gaza in all but a handful of exceptional humanitarian cases.

The blockade prohibits exports and restricts the entry of basic goods, including food and fuel. Much of whatever food is available is provided by the UN and other aid agencies, or smuggled in through tunnels running under the Egypt-Gaza border and then sold on at exorbitantly high prices to Gaza’s beleaguered residents. The blockade also often prevents people from receiving necessary, urgent medical care, and from pursuing their livelihoods.

One year after Operation “Cast Lead”, Gaza remains largely cut off from the outside world. With most construction materials barred by Israel, Gaza’s inhabitants are unable to rebuild their shattered lives. Many thousands of homes were destroyed or severely damaged, as were the electricity and water systems. Civilian buildings, including hospitals and schools, were also damaged or destroyed.

The Israeli authorities say the blockade is a response to attacks from Palestinian armed groups, in particular the indiscriminate rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel. In fact, whatever its stated justification, by restricting the food, medical supplies, educational equipment, and building materials allowed into Gaza, the Israeli authorities are collectively punishing the entire population of Gaza, the majority of whom are children, rather than targeting those responsible for carrying out rocket or other attacks. The situation is made all the worse by the Egyptian government’s continued general closure of the Rafah crossing and, most recently, by its construction of a steel wall along the border at Rafah to disrupt the cross-border smuggling that has become Gaza’s lifeline. However, as the occupying power, it is Israel that bears the foremost responsibility for ensuring the welfare of the inhabitants of Gaza.

Operation Cast Lead

• 700 private businesses across commerce, industry and services were destroyed or suffered serious damage to buildings, equipment or stock, resulting in a combined loss put at US$139 million
• In the first three months after the offensive, joblessness in Gaza had crossed 40% of the workforce, and reached 140,000 people

Blockade (Pre-offensive)

• May 2008 – survey showed 70% of families living on a dollar a day
• 98% of industrial operations were idle
• Import and export prevented (imports currently running at 80% below pre-blockade levels)
• Estimated 120,000 private sector jobs have been lost Tunnels –overpriced and poor quality goods at highly inflated prices, inaccessible to many