The Gaza Strip:Under Siege

The Border Crossings Explained
In 2005, the Israeli government completed the construction of a
metal separation barrier between Israel and the Gaza Strip. This
marked the beginning of the mass imprisonment of the
population of Gaza.

Israel maintains control of the entry and exit points by land, air
and sea and any Palestinian wishing to leave Gaza requires a
permit granted by Israel. The only crossing not in Israel’s direct
control is the Rafah crossing with Egypt, but political pressures
from Israel and the US mean that the closure is maintained from
that crossing too.

was announced that the Nahal Oz and Karni crossings are being
phased out, leaving Karm abu Salem as the primary crossing
point for most goods entering the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the
capacity of Karm abu Salem crossing means that only a quarter
of that which could originally be transported is now able to
pass.

The Rafah Crossing
The USA provides Egypt with billions of dollars of aid every year.
This ensures that any instructions from the US are followed by
the Egyptian authorities, including keeping the Rafah crossing
closed at Israel’s insistence. Following the Hamas election
victory, this crossing has been almost permanently closed. Israel
limits the amount of aid allowed into Gaza. The UN maintains
the trickle of supplies is far below the daily needs of the people.
Such restrictions have meant that the requirements of the
population of Gaza are not being met.

Levels of unemployment have reached 42% and poverty is now
as high as 80%. In desperation, Gazans have been driven to
using underground tunnels to access necessities such as baby
milk, medicines, school materials and home appliances. These
tunnels are vital lifelines to Gazans, but Israel is clamping down
on them, accusing Hamas of using them to smuggle in
weapons.

To make matters worse, Egypt is tightening its grip on the
already suffocating Gaza Strip. It is now building an
underground steel wall and a network of water pipelines in
order to flood the tunnels. UN sources estimate that at least
60% of Gaza’s economic activity is viable due to the tunnels. The
population of Gaza are being squeezed from every direction,
leaving them in an impossible situation.
In June 2010, Israel said it would ‘ease’ the blockade but imports
remain grossly inadequate.

The ‘Buffer Zone’
In what many have labelled as yet another land grab attempt,
Israel has developed a ‘Buffer Zone’ across the entire northern
and eastern perimeter of the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel. This
zone is a military ‘no-go’ area, and if a Palestinian adult or child
wonders into this zone, they are fired upon.
This means that 30% of agricultural land is inaccessible,
exacerbating the Palestinian poverty and dependence on aid.
Farmers such as Samir Abu Gumboz, who owns land just 800
metres from the border have felt the effect of this. In September
2010, 3 Palestinian farmers, aged 91, 20 and 17 were killed for
being in the ‘Buffer Zone’.

Ahmed Sourani, officer from Gaza-based Palestinian
Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) stated that the land
within the Buffer Zone is a rich area containing many rain-fed
crops such as almonds, citrus trees, olives, wheat, barley, beans
and various vegetables. The creation of the buffer zone has been
incredibly detrimental to the lives of Palestinian farmers.

Fishermen
Palestinian fisherman are also affected by Buffer Zone
restrictions. 3,600 fishermen face danger every day at sea. In
December 2009 alone there were at least two naval attacks on
fishermen. Numerous fishermen have also been detained for
several hours; with some being forced to swim back to shore
from their boats. Boats have also been damaged by the Israeli
forces and fishermen injured.

Gaza Freedom Flotilla
A number of international peace convoys have attempted to
sail to Gaza with the aim of breaking the siege. In May 2010,
the Gaza Freedom Flotilla set sail with 700 peace activists from
around the world and 10,000 tonnes of aid. However, in the
early hours of 31 May, the Israeli military boarded the MV Mavi
Marmara ship and killed 9 peace activists and injured a further
48 with gun shot wounds. This appalling event occurred whilst
the convoy was in international waters. This act is illegal under
international law and resulted in global condemnation.
Palestinians have been blockaded physically, economically and
psychologically and have lived through immeasurable trauma.
However, despite attacks now moving towards targeting the
international community, the movement to bring justice to the
Palestinians continues to intensify