28 jan 2016
By Ramzy Baroud
(With reporting from Yousef Aljamal in Gaza)
Whenever Mariam Aljamal’s children hear the sound of thunder at night, they wet their beds. Their reaction is almost instinctive, and is shared by a large number of children throughout the Gaza Strip.
Mariam’s three children – Jamal, Lina and Sarah – were all born a few years after the Gaza siege was first imposed in 2006, and all of them have experienced at least one Israeli war.
“My kids feel scared when the electricity goes off, which is most of the time,” says the 33-year-old mother from Nuseirat Refugee Camp, who has a degree in Communication and is currently pursuing her MA. “They are still living the trauma of the 2014 offensive. War is still haunting my family, and life has become so hard for us.”
Indeed, after years of trying, Mariam is yet to find work. Unemployment in Gaza is the highest in the world, according to the World Bank.
The siege on Gaza was imposed in stages, starting January 2006, when the Hamas movement won the legislative elections in the Occupied Territories. Donors’ money was immediately withheld, so the new Government could not pay the salaries of its employees. The conventional wisdom, then, was the new Government would soon collapse, and Hamas’ rival, Fatah, would quickly resume its control over the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Israeli hope, which was reinforced by the US and also shared by PA President Mahmoud Abbas and many in his party, never came to fruition. To speed up the projected collapse, Israel began sporadic bombardment of Gaza and carried out a sweeping campaign to arrest many of its elected MPs, coupled with a Fatah and Hamas dispute, which eventually turned into street battles in the summer of 2007.
It was then that the siege became complete, now ongoing for ten years. During this time, Fatah resumed its control over the PA in the West Bank, reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah largely failed, the Rafah border has been mostly sealed, and Israel has launched three major wars that have killed thousands.
The destruction in Gaza as a result of three consecutive wars (2008-9, 12 and 14) has been so severe, it has affected almost every aspect of the Strip’s already dilapidated infrastructure. Power outages, for example, have become part of life in Gaza. If all goes according to plan, Palestinians here have only 8-10 hours, per day, to utilize electricity, and for the rest of the day they suffer in darkness. The UN had already declared that life in Gaza will become ‘uninhabitable’ by 2020.
But there are aspects of this drama that do not receive a fair share of attention, such as how the siege is hindering human development for an entire generation.
When the siege was imposed, Ahmad Ghazal was only 13-years-old. Now, he is 23 and works at a local library in Gaza City. “Life here is not pleasant,” he says. “In the last ten years my family has suffered the lack of food, clean water, proper medical care and the most basic of human needs. But what frustrates me most is the fact that I am not able to move freely. The Israeli-Egyptian shut down of border crossings has brought our life to a standstill. I feel trapped.”
Maher Azzam is 21 years of age and he, too, feels imprisoned. He teaches English at Smart International Centre for Languages and Development and aspires to be a writer. However, he sees life in Gaza as a slow death.
“The number of martyrs in the Strip over the course of 10 years has exceeded 4,000, but those innocent people only died once,” he says. “People who are still alive in Gaza, have been dying every day for a whole decade. But we must stay optimistic and hopeful. We have learned to be creative to survive, to express ourselves and to carry on without submitting, despite Israel’s ongoing crimes and the silence of the international community.”
Heba Zaher, a 21-year-old graduate from the Islamic University, also understands the centrality of hope to the Gaza narrative. She says, “We have survived all of these years without losing hope, we certainly can’t lose it now. Ten years of hardship have taught us to be stronger, to cope with life and to defeat the siege.”
But defeating the siege is not an easy endeavor, as it has “affected all aspects of our life,” according to Heba. “Many students have lost their opportunities of studying abroad. Many patients have died, waiting for the crossings to open so that they may get proper treatment. Construction is tied to the crossings, and life is now more expensive than ever.”
The consequences of the siege are far-reaching to the extent that Anas Almassri, a student-intern at the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in Deir al Balah, says that whatever remained of Gaza’s middle class is now dwindling. “The middle class in Gaza continues to shrink as a result of the diminishing economic opportunities, and this affects the income of families terribly, who cannot send their kids to universities and, therefore, cannot maintain their standard of living.”
For Ghada Abu Msabeh, 20, also from Deir Al-Balah, the siege has now become so rooted in the collective psyche of Gazans that it has grown to become the new norm. “I think that we have come to the point that the siege has become a part of our daily life and routine,” she argues. “I honestly cannot imagine what life would be if we are able to move freely or even go for an entire day without power outage. It is honestly difficult to remember how life used to be before the siege.”
Hana Salah, 25, a writer and humanitarian worker with Oxfam Italy, tried to seek an opportunity outside Gaza, but she was not successful. “I didn’t try again because seeing others’ attempt and fail was enough to depress me,” she says. “I feel that we are living in a cage and have no idea what is transpiring outside this cage. I don’t know what will happen, but can only hope and pray for God’s mercy.”
Some of those who were able to leave to pursue their education outside Gaza, were stuck when they attempted to return for a visit. Rafaat Alareer, a writer and lecturer, embarked on his PhD studies at Universiti Purra Malaysia in 2012, but has been trapped in Gaza since 2014. He came to visit his family as the 2014 offensive destroyed their home and killed his brother. “It’s been a year and a half now, and I cannot go back because of the siege and the closure of the Rafah crossing,” which has been practically shut down for a year.
The same was experienced by Belal Dabour, a young doctor at the Shifa Hospital, who is unable to leave Gaza to gain more experience and attend conferences, which he had hoped could bolster his academic qualifications. “I had just graduated when the 2014 war started,” he says. “It was very traumatic. What I have experienced in one month at Al-Shifa is more than what other doctors would experience in many years of their practice. But now I have no job and like many of my colleagues have no source of income.”
Walaa Al-Ghussein, a 23-year-old student at Al-Azhar University, concludes that, although more people now acknowledge the existence of a cruel siege on Gaza, life for Gazans remains the same. “We need more than just protests; real pressure needs to be exerted on Israel so that this siege ends. Hundreds of patients are dying, students are losing their opportunities of studying abroad and a whole people are stranded.”
– Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com.
(With reporting from Yousef Aljamal in Gaza)
Whenever Mariam Aljamal’s children hear the sound of thunder at night, they wet their beds. Their reaction is almost instinctive, and is shared by a large number of children throughout the Gaza Strip.
Mariam’s three children – Jamal, Lina and Sarah – were all born a few years after the Gaza siege was first imposed in 2006, and all of them have experienced at least one Israeli war.
“My kids feel scared when the electricity goes off, which is most of the time,” says the 33-year-old mother from Nuseirat Refugee Camp, who has a degree in Communication and is currently pursuing her MA. “They are still living the trauma of the 2014 offensive. War is still haunting my family, and life has become so hard for us.”
Indeed, after years of trying, Mariam is yet to find work. Unemployment in Gaza is the highest in the world, according to the World Bank.
The siege on Gaza was imposed in stages, starting January 2006, when the Hamas movement won the legislative elections in the Occupied Territories. Donors’ money was immediately withheld, so the new Government could not pay the salaries of its employees. The conventional wisdom, then, was the new Government would soon collapse, and Hamas’ rival, Fatah, would quickly resume its control over the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Israeli hope, which was reinforced by the US and also shared by PA President Mahmoud Abbas and many in his party, never came to fruition. To speed up the projected collapse, Israel began sporadic bombardment of Gaza and carried out a sweeping campaign to arrest many of its elected MPs, coupled with a Fatah and Hamas dispute, which eventually turned into street battles in the summer of 2007.
It was then that the siege became complete, now ongoing for ten years. During this time, Fatah resumed its control over the PA in the West Bank, reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah largely failed, the Rafah border has been mostly sealed, and Israel has launched three major wars that have killed thousands.
The destruction in Gaza as a result of three consecutive wars (2008-9, 12 and 14) has been so severe, it has affected almost every aspect of the Strip’s already dilapidated infrastructure. Power outages, for example, have become part of life in Gaza. If all goes according to plan, Palestinians here have only 8-10 hours, per day, to utilize electricity, and for the rest of the day they suffer in darkness. The UN had already declared that life in Gaza will become ‘uninhabitable’ by 2020.
But there are aspects of this drama that do not receive a fair share of attention, such as how the siege is hindering human development for an entire generation.
When the siege was imposed, Ahmad Ghazal was only 13-years-old. Now, he is 23 and works at a local library in Gaza City. “Life here is not pleasant,” he says. “In the last ten years my family has suffered the lack of food, clean water, proper medical care and the most basic of human needs. But what frustrates me most is the fact that I am not able to move freely. The Israeli-Egyptian shut down of border crossings has brought our life to a standstill. I feel trapped.”
Maher Azzam is 21 years of age and he, too, feels imprisoned. He teaches English at Smart International Centre for Languages and Development and aspires to be a writer. However, he sees life in Gaza as a slow death.
“The number of martyrs in the Strip over the course of 10 years has exceeded 4,000, but those innocent people only died once,” he says. “People who are still alive in Gaza, have been dying every day for a whole decade. But we must stay optimistic and hopeful. We have learned to be creative to survive, to express ourselves and to carry on without submitting, despite Israel’s ongoing crimes and the silence of the international community.”
Heba Zaher, a 21-year-old graduate from the Islamic University, also understands the centrality of hope to the Gaza narrative. She says, “We have survived all of these years without losing hope, we certainly can’t lose it now. Ten years of hardship have taught us to be stronger, to cope with life and to defeat the siege.”
But defeating the siege is not an easy endeavor, as it has “affected all aspects of our life,” according to Heba. “Many students have lost their opportunities of studying abroad. Many patients have died, waiting for the crossings to open so that they may get proper treatment. Construction is tied to the crossings, and life is now more expensive than ever.”
The consequences of the siege are far-reaching to the extent that Anas Almassri, a student-intern at the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in Deir al Balah, says that whatever remained of Gaza’s middle class is now dwindling. “The middle class in Gaza continues to shrink as a result of the diminishing economic opportunities, and this affects the income of families terribly, who cannot send their kids to universities and, therefore, cannot maintain their standard of living.”
For Ghada Abu Msabeh, 20, also from Deir Al-Balah, the siege has now become so rooted in the collective psyche of Gazans that it has grown to become the new norm. “I think that we have come to the point that the siege has become a part of our daily life and routine,” she argues. “I honestly cannot imagine what life would be if we are able to move freely or even go for an entire day without power outage. It is honestly difficult to remember how life used to be before the siege.”
Hana Salah, 25, a writer and humanitarian worker with Oxfam Italy, tried to seek an opportunity outside Gaza, but she was not successful. “I didn’t try again because seeing others’ attempt and fail was enough to depress me,” she says. “I feel that we are living in a cage and have no idea what is transpiring outside this cage. I don’t know what will happen, but can only hope and pray for God’s mercy.”
Some of those who were able to leave to pursue their education outside Gaza, were stuck when they attempted to return for a visit. Rafaat Alareer, a writer and lecturer, embarked on his PhD studies at Universiti Purra Malaysia in 2012, but has been trapped in Gaza since 2014. He came to visit his family as the 2014 offensive destroyed their home and killed his brother. “It’s been a year and a half now, and I cannot go back because of the siege and the closure of the Rafah crossing,” which has been practically shut down for a year.
The same was experienced by Belal Dabour, a young doctor at the Shifa Hospital, who is unable to leave Gaza to gain more experience and attend conferences, which he had hoped could bolster his academic qualifications. “I had just graduated when the 2014 war started,” he says. “It was very traumatic. What I have experienced in one month at Al-Shifa is more than what other doctors would experience in many years of their practice. But now I have no job and like many of my colleagues have no source of income.”
Walaa Al-Ghussein, a 23-year-old student at Al-Azhar University, concludes that, although more people now acknowledge the existence of a cruel siege on Gaza, life for Gazans remains the same. “We need more than just protests; real pressure needs to be exerted on Israel so that this siege ends. Hundreds of patients are dying, students are losing their opportunities of studying abroad and a whole people are stranded.”
– Dr. Ramzy Baroud has been writing about the Middle East for over 20 years. He is an internationally-syndicated columnist, a media consultant, an author of several books and the founder of PalestineChronicle.com.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Thursday closed Huwara checkpoint, south of Nablus city, and prevented all Palestinian vehicles from passing through.
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the IOF closed the iron gate of the checkpoint, which led to traffic jams on both sides.
Consequently, hundreds of citizens were unable to go their workplaces and schools.
There is still no information if the IOF opened the checkpoint.
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the IOF closed the iron gate of the checkpoint, which led to traffic jams on both sides.
Consequently, hundreds of citizens were unable to go their workplaces and schools.
There is still no information if the IOF opened the checkpoint.
Qatar has warned of Israel's persistence in blockading the Gaza Strip, expanding its settlements, and Judaizing the holy sites in Jerusalem, and committing many violations against the Palestinians and their land.
Qatar demanded the UN Security Council to compel Israel to respect the international law, to express its rejection clearly of all Israeli illegal practices, and to necessarily take all measures to stop such violations, and provide the Palestinian people with international protection.
This came in a statement read on Wednesday by ambassador Alya Al Thani, Qatar's permanent representative to the UN, during a session held by the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East and Palestine.
Qatar expressed its deep concern that Israel's ongoing violations would escalate the tension in Palestine and undermine any chance for a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The statement underlined that Qatar had spared no effort to achieve peace and stability in the region and employed its different capabilities to provide humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians and deal with the impacts of Israel's aggression and blockade in Gaza.
The statement also highlighted the projects which Qatar had accomplished in Gaza, including the hospital of Sheikh Hamed, hundreds of housing units, and roads.
Qatar urged the Security Council to assume its responsibilities towards achieving a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East and work on ending Israel's occupation of all Arab lands and restoring the Palestinian people's rights.
Qatar demanded the UN Security Council to compel Israel to respect the international law, to express its rejection clearly of all Israeli illegal practices, and to necessarily take all measures to stop such violations, and provide the Palestinian people with international protection.
This came in a statement read on Wednesday by ambassador Alya Al Thani, Qatar's permanent representative to the UN, during a session held by the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East and Palestine.
Qatar expressed its deep concern that Israel's ongoing violations would escalate the tension in Palestine and undermine any chance for a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The statement underlined that Qatar had spared no effort to achieve peace and stability in the region and employed its different capabilities to provide humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians and deal with the impacts of Israel's aggression and blockade in Gaza.
The statement also highlighted the projects which Qatar had accomplished in Gaza, including the hospital of Sheikh Hamed, hundreds of housing units, and roads.
Qatar urged the Security Council to assume its responsibilities towards achieving a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East and work on ending Israel's occupation of all Arab lands and restoring the Palestinian people's rights.
27 jan 2016
Palestinian Authority cabinet ministers announced, after their weekly meeting on Tuesday, that the government will send one million liters of fuel to the Gaza Strip, in light of the recent wave of freezing weather currently sweeping the territory.
The fuel is intended to supply the Gaza power station, which has suffered from chronic shortages due to the crippling Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave. The power station has not run at full capacity in years.
With the temperature in the Strip expected to be near 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), for the next several days, Gazans will rely on space heaters for warmth, putting a strain on the enclave's electrical grid.
The Gaza Strip also suffers from shortage of gas -- used daily by Palestinians in the strip for both cooking and heating -- as the quantities allowed to be shipped in are not sufficient to resident's needs. Israel's 50-day offensive on Gaza, in 2014, has also taken its toll on the local infrastructure, as Gaza’s power plant was targeted and put out of commission.
In September, the United Nations warned that that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable for residents within just five years, pointing to the devastation of war and nearly a decade of Israeli blockade.
"The social, health and security-related ramifications of the high population density and overcrowding are among the factors that may render Gaza unlivable by 2020," the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) wrote, in its annual report.
The fuel is intended to supply the Gaza power station, which has suffered from chronic shortages due to the crippling Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave. The power station has not run at full capacity in years.
With the temperature in the Strip expected to be near 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), for the next several days, Gazans will rely on space heaters for warmth, putting a strain on the enclave's electrical grid.
The Gaza Strip also suffers from shortage of gas -- used daily by Palestinians in the strip for both cooking and heating -- as the quantities allowed to be shipped in are not sufficient to resident's needs. Israel's 50-day offensive on Gaza, in 2014, has also taken its toll on the local infrastructure, as Gaza’s power plant was targeted and put out of commission.
In September, the United Nations warned that that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable for residents within just five years, pointing to the devastation of war and nearly a decade of Israeli blockade.
"The social, health and security-related ramifications of the high population density and overcrowding are among the factors that may render Gaza unlivable by 2020," the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) wrote, in its annual report.
25 jan 2016
The Arab Organization for Human Rights In the UK (AOHR UK) on Monday submitted two communications to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) inviting the Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute both the deliberate infiltration of seawater into the territory of Gaza by Egyptian forces, and the closure of the Rafah crossing.
Both acts are constitutive of war crimes and crimes against humanity and are therefore acts under the subject-matter jurisdiction of the ICC, AOHR clarified.
The ICC also enjoys temporal and territorial jurisdiction over the crimes exposed in both communications because the State of Palestine acceded the Rome Statute in January 2015 and issued a declaration under article 12(3) of the Statute accepting the Court’s jurisdiction since 13th June 2014.
With these filings, the AOHR seeks to put an end to the oppressive and criminal policy of the Egyptian authorities at the border and hold those responsible accountable before an international court.
Since 2006, 1.8 million Palestinian citizens residing in Gaza have been subject to occupation and blockade.
Nevertheless, both the siege and the humanitarian crisis were exacerbated in mid-2013, when a military coup ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president and inaugurated one of the darkest periods of abuse and oppression in the country’s history.
The arrival of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the Egyptian presidency marked a profound change in Egypt’s foreign policy towards Gaza; since July 2013 a pattern of attack, abuse and oppressive action by the Egyptian military regime directed against the civilian population of Gaza is readily identifiable. These actions follow a plan or policy aimed, supposedly and officially, at fighting terrorism in the region, but also at pressing the Gaza population.
The first measure of this policy was the de facto closure of the Rafah crossing. Given the occupation and blockade, this crossing was of key relevance for Gaza’s citizens, as it constituted their only escape valve, and the main channel of import for basic resources. However, since July 2013 the crossing has been almost permanently closed.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, between October 2014 and October 2015 the Rafah border crossing was open for passage for a total of only 37 days. As a result, there are currently 30,000 Palestinians registered as humanitarian cases waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah.
Toby Cadman, International Criminal Law expert and head of legal team advising AOHR, notes, "The Egyptian policy in the border constitutes a clear violation of the laws of war and shows evident criminal features”.
He added that the International Criminal Court should analyse the situations presented in both communications and demonstrate that there are criminal methods to cause great suffering and serious injuries in entire populations that, nevertheless, do not require the use of guns and tanks.
Cadman argues that “the conditions of life derived from the Egyptian policy in the Rafah border constitutes per se a violent action that affects the entire Strip in a widespread manner. It demonstrates that the heinousness of a crime does not depend on the size of an Army, or on the length of hostilities, but on the cruelty of the policy behind the actions and the party’s desire to capitalize on its position of superiority and the vulnerability of a defenceless region”.
Both acts are constitutive of war crimes and crimes against humanity and are therefore acts under the subject-matter jurisdiction of the ICC, AOHR clarified.
The ICC also enjoys temporal and territorial jurisdiction over the crimes exposed in both communications because the State of Palestine acceded the Rome Statute in January 2015 and issued a declaration under article 12(3) of the Statute accepting the Court’s jurisdiction since 13th June 2014.
With these filings, the AOHR seeks to put an end to the oppressive and criminal policy of the Egyptian authorities at the border and hold those responsible accountable before an international court.
Since 2006, 1.8 million Palestinian citizens residing in Gaza have been subject to occupation and blockade.
Nevertheless, both the siege and the humanitarian crisis were exacerbated in mid-2013, when a military coup ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president and inaugurated one of the darkest periods of abuse and oppression in the country’s history.
The arrival of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the Egyptian presidency marked a profound change in Egypt’s foreign policy towards Gaza; since July 2013 a pattern of attack, abuse and oppressive action by the Egyptian military regime directed against the civilian population of Gaza is readily identifiable. These actions follow a plan or policy aimed, supposedly and officially, at fighting terrorism in the region, but also at pressing the Gaza population.
The first measure of this policy was the de facto closure of the Rafah crossing. Given the occupation and blockade, this crossing was of key relevance for Gaza’s citizens, as it constituted their only escape valve, and the main channel of import for basic resources. However, since July 2013 the crossing has been almost permanently closed.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, between October 2014 and October 2015 the Rafah border crossing was open for passage for a total of only 37 days. As a result, there are currently 30,000 Palestinians registered as humanitarian cases waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah.
Toby Cadman, International Criminal Law expert and head of legal team advising AOHR, notes, "The Egyptian policy in the border constitutes a clear violation of the laws of war and shows evident criminal features”.
He added that the International Criminal Court should analyse the situations presented in both communications and demonstrate that there are criminal methods to cause great suffering and serious injuries in entire populations that, nevertheless, do not require the use of guns and tanks.
Cadman argues that “the conditions of life derived from the Egyptian policy in the Rafah border constitutes per se a violent action that affects the entire Strip in a widespread manner. It demonstrates that the heinousness of a crime does not depend on the size of an Army, or on the length of hostilities, but on the cruelty of the policy behind the actions and the party’s desire to capitalize on its position of superiority and the vulnerability of a defenceless region”.
24 jan 2016
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Saturday evening stormed al-Sahel area in Yabad town, south of Jenin city, and obstructed the movement of vehicles on the Yabad-Jenin road.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the IOF also stopped and interrogated citizens in al-Qibli neighborhood in Yabad in the rain and cold.
The sources added that the IOF set up barriers on Zabada-Mariha road near Yabad and intercepted passing vehicles and citizens.
Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the IOF also stopped and interrogated citizens in al-Qibli neighborhood in Yabad in the rain and cold.
The sources added that the IOF set up barriers on Zabada-Mariha road near Yabad and intercepted passing vehicles and citizens.
23 jan 2016
Israeli authorities allowed cooking gas and diesel into the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday, Palestinian sources told Ma’an News Agency.
Samir Hamadeh, a board member of an organization of Gaza fuel and gas companies, said that around 120 tons of gas and 200,000 liters of diesel were allowed into the Gaza Strip, via Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israeli authorities exceptionally opened the crossing, on Friday, to allow the materials through.
The fuel was intended to supply the Gaza power station, which has suffered from chronic shortages due to the crippling Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave. The power station has not run at full capacity in years.
The Gaza Strip also suffers from shortage of gas -- used daily by Palestinians in the strip for both cooking and heating -- as the allowed quantities are not sufficient to residents needs.
Israel's 50-day offensive on Gaza in 2014 has also taken its toll on the local infrastructure, as Gaza’s power plant was targeted and put out of commission.
In September, the United Nations warned that that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable for residents within just five years, pointing to the devastation of war and nearly a decade of Israel's blockade.
Samir Hamadeh, a board member of an organization of Gaza fuel and gas companies, said that around 120 tons of gas and 200,000 liters of diesel were allowed into the Gaza Strip, via Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israeli authorities exceptionally opened the crossing, on Friday, to allow the materials through.
The fuel was intended to supply the Gaza power station, which has suffered from chronic shortages due to the crippling Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave. The power station has not run at full capacity in years.
The Gaza Strip also suffers from shortage of gas -- used daily by Palestinians in the strip for both cooking and heating -- as the allowed quantities are not sufficient to residents needs.
Israel's 50-day offensive on Gaza in 2014 has also taken its toll on the local infrastructure, as Gaza’s power plant was targeted and put out of commission.
In September, the United Nations warned that that the Gaza Strip could become uninhabitable for residents within just five years, pointing to the devastation of war and nearly a decade of Israel's blockade.
22 jan 2016
Hundreds of Palestinian citizens on Friday afternoon participated in a protest in Rafah area called for by the Hamas Movement against Egypt's closure of the Rafah border crossing.
The protesters chanted slogans and carried banners demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing and denouncing 10 years of blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian authorities have been closing the Rafah crossing for more than 400 days at the pretext of the volatile security situation in the Sinai.
The protesters chanted slogans and carried banners demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing and denouncing 10 years of blockade on the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian authorities have been closing the Rafah crossing for more than 400 days at the pretext of the volatile security situation in the Sinai.
21 jan 2016
|
|
The Euro-Med Monitor for Human Rights released shocking figures on the humanitarian conditions of over 1,957,000 Palestinians living in Gaza Strip after 10 years of the Israeli siege.
The Euro-Med revealed, in a video graph published on the tenth anniversary of the Israeli siege on Gaza after 2006 elections, that 40% of the population live under poverty line and 80% receive aids, while 922,000 refugees need to be aided. According to the info graph, 60% of families in Gaza suffer from lack of nutrition security to varying degrees. The industrial sector suffers 60% shrinkage and the total local production declined to 50% while Gazan |
people complain about housing shortage estimated at 100,000 housing units.
The data also showed that the unemployment rate reached 43% including 63% among the youth segment. The Gaza Strip was exposed to three Israeli wars between 2008 and 2014 and received only 40% of the international community pledges for Gaza reconstruction.
The info graph also showed that electricity service is cut off for 12-16 hours daily and 40% of the residents receive running water service for only 4-8 hours each three days. The rate of polluted water reached 90-95% as well.
The video showed that hospitals in Gaza work by less than 40% of its power and that the crossing of Karm Abu Salem is the only working one out of four crossings that used to be working before the siege. In 2015, Rafah crossing was opened for 20 days only.
The data also showed that the unemployment rate reached 43% including 63% among the youth segment. The Gaza Strip was exposed to three Israeli wars between 2008 and 2014 and received only 40% of the international community pledges for Gaza reconstruction.
The info graph also showed that electricity service is cut off for 12-16 hours daily and 40% of the residents receive running water service for only 4-8 hours each three days. The rate of polluted water reached 90-95% as well.
The video showed that hospitals in Gaza work by less than 40% of its power and that the crossing of Karm Abu Salem is the only working one out of four crossings that used to be working before the siege. In 2015, Rafah crossing was opened for 20 days only.
20 jan 2016
Families peacefully protesting after the arrest.
January 18th marked day 12 of an ongoing sit-in protest at check point 56 at the entrance to Shuhada Street and the Israeli occupied part of the city.
The peaceful protest began on 7th January when a local woman, Wafa’ Sharabati, 38, was arrested at the checkpoint due to a discrepancy with her ID while trying to pass. During the arrest she was harassed by Israeli forces who claimed that she was a ‘troublemaker’ and threatened to put a knife in her bag.
The family, joined by other locals and activists, staged a sit in afterwards protesting the arbitrary arrest and harassment as well as the increased difficulty passing the newly renovated checkpoint and the closed military zone. The checkpoint leads into the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood which Israeli authorities declared a closed military zone on November 1, 2015. The closure forced all residents to register and be assigned numbers in order to pass to their homes, and to add to the restrictions, no visitors of any kind, family, friends, media or human rights defenders have been able to enter. ISM and many other organizations are now calling on the international community to act and put an end to the closed military zone.
Since the initial sit in, an ongoing protest tent open to all has been established to show solidarity and support until the closed military zone comes to an end. The tent is set up and visited daily, despite the cold weather, from morning until night by local residents, youth, activists, and even tourists.
Members of international organizations such as Interfaith Peace Builders from the U.S. and the UK Political Council, as well as local ones such as, Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, have also visited to learn about the situation. Any individuals or groups who wish to attend to show support or learn more are welcome to join.
January 18th marked day 12 of an ongoing sit-in protest at check point 56 at the entrance to Shuhada Street and the Israeli occupied part of the city.
The peaceful protest began on 7th January when a local woman, Wafa’ Sharabati, 38, was arrested at the checkpoint due to a discrepancy with her ID while trying to pass. During the arrest she was harassed by Israeli forces who claimed that she was a ‘troublemaker’ and threatened to put a knife in her bag.
The family, joined by other locals and activists, staged a sit in afterwards protesting the arbitrary arrest and harassment as well as the increased difficulty passing the newly renovated checkpoint and the closed military zone. The checkpoint leads into the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood which Israeli authorities declared a closed military zone on November 1, 2015. The closure forced all residents to register and be assigned numbers in order to pass to their homes, and to add to the restrictions, no visitors of any kind, family, friends, media or human rights defenders have been able to enter. ISM and many other organizations are now calling on the international community to act and put an end to the closed military zone.
Since the initial sit in, an ongoing protest tent open to all has been established to show solidarity and support until the closed military zone comes to an end. The tent is set up and visited daily, despite the cold weather, from morning until night by local residents, youth, activists, and even tourists.
Members of international organizations such as Interfaith Peace Builders from the U.S. and the UK Political Council, as well as local ones such as, Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, have also visited to learn about the situation. Any individuals or groups who wish to attend to show support or learn more are welcome to join.
Political hypocrisy and double standards have been at the origin of Palestinians’ tragic state of affairs in the blockaded Gaza Strip, senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said on Facebook.
“What has such a silence over the implementation of the reconciliation accord been maintained for?”, Abu Marzouk wondered.
“To whoever remains mum over the security coordination and attempts to infanticide democracy . . . you know very well the entire truth; you know very well who truly wants to heal the rift and who doesn’t, who implements the bonds and who doesn’t. But you prefer silence for fear of being castigated,” he said.
“Why on earth don’t you strike a comparison between the situation in blockaded Gaza and that in the West Bank? Has the situation been the same?” Abu Marzouk added.
He attributed the tragedy in the besieged coastal enclave to “political hypocrisy” and the “greed to survive” at the expense of Gazans.
“You don’t want to be part of any solution to Gaza. It is much easier for you to accuse other parties and whitewash yourselves. Such has been your policy of double standards,” the Hamas leader stated.
“How easily can you forget the efforts made by Hamas to work out the crises . . . . You know very well that had not Hamas been there in Gaza, survival would have been almost impossible,” he said.
Abu Marzouk added that Gaza has been paying a steep price for clinging to its tenets and right to resistance and liberation.
“What has such a silence over the implementation of the reconciliation accord been maintained for?”, Abu Marzouk wondered.
“To whoever remains mum over the security coordination and attempts to infanticide democracy . . . you know very well the entire truth; you know very well who truly wants to heal the rift and who doesn’t, who implements the bonds and who doesn’t. But you prefer silence for fear of being castigated,” he said.
“Why on earth don’t you strike a comparison between the situation in blockaded Gaza and that in the West Bank? Has the situation been the same?” Abu Marzouk added.
He attributed the tragedy in the besieged coastal enclave to “political hypocrisy” and the “greed to survive” at the expense of Gazans.
“You don’t want to be part of any solution to Gaza. It is much easier for you to accuse other parties and whitewash yourselves. Such has been your policy of double standards,” the Hamas leader stated.
“How easily can you forget the efforts made by Hamas to work out the crises . . . . You know very well that had not Hamas been there in Gaza, survival would have been almost impossible,” he said.
Abu Marzouk added that Gaza has been paying a steep price for clinging to its tenets and right to resistance and liberation.
Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, on Tuesday appreciated the Egyptian Administrative Court’s refusal of banning the entry of its members into the country. Hamas also welcomed the EU call for ending the siege on Gaza, reconstruction and opening the border crossings.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, in a statement on Tuesday, that Hamas believes that the decision is important and contributes to maintaining balance of the Egyptian position toward the Palestinian parties.
Abu Zuhri added that the court’s decision helps improve relations between Hamas and Cairo, hoping that it may speed up the opening of Rafah border crossing.
The Administrative Court in Egypt refused a lawsuit demanding barring members of Hamas Movement from entering or leaving the Egyptian land until the investigations in killing 16 of the Egyptian armed forces in Rafah come to an end.
The Egyptian Court of Urgent Matters last year cancelled a rule that blacklisted Hamas Movement as a terrorist group.
Hamas Movement also welcomed the statement of the EU Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs which called for ending the siege on Gaza, reconstruction, opening of the crossings and refusing the settlement policy.
In a statement, Hamas also called on the EU to follow up on these resolutions and to take required procedures to guarantee their implementation.
Hamas agreed on the EU’s urging of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to practice its work in Gaza Strip. It opined that the PA’s success in this matter depends on its fulfillment of its duties towards Gaza with no discrimination among citizens or institutions.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, in a statement on Tuesday, that Hamas believes that the decision is important and contributes to maintaining balance of the Egyptian position toward the Palestinian parties.
Abu Zuhri added that the court’s decision helps improve relations between Hamas and Cairo, hoping that it may speed up the opening of Rafah border crossing.
The Administrative Court in Egypt refused a lawsuit demanding barring members of Hamas Movement from entering or leaving the Egyptian land until the investigations in killing 16 of the Egyptian armed forces in Rafah come to an end.
The Egyptian Court of Urgent Matters last year cancelled a rule that blacklisted Hamas Movement as a terrorist group.
Hamas Movement also welcomed the statement of the EU Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs which called for ending the siege on Gaza, reconstruction, opening of the crossings and refusing the settlement policy.
In a statement, Hamas also called on the EU to follow up on these resolutions and to take required procedures to guarantee their implementation.
Hamas agreed on the EU’s urging of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to practice its work in Gaza Strip. It opined that the PA’s success in this matter depends on its fulfillment of its duties towards Gaza with no discrimination among citizens or institutions.