GAZA REPORTreliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources... · Gaza Report November 2012 3...

22
November 2012 GAZA REPORT

Transcript of GAZA REPORTreliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources... · Gaza Report November 2012 3...

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November 2012GAZA REPORT

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Gaza Report November 2012II

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Gaza Report November 2012 1

The borders of the Gaza Strip were

drawn by the United Nations with

the 1949 Ceasefire Agreement that

was signed after the 1948 Arab-

Israel War. The region remained under the

Egyptian control until the 1967 War when

it came under direct Israeli occupation

following border changes. As per the Oslo

Accords signed in 1993, Israel agreed to

an independent Palestinian state that also

included Gaza at latest by 1999; however,

it only withdrew from the territory it

occupied in 2005, pursuing to shape the

permanent status of the region unilaterally.

Despite partial improvement of life after the

withdrawal, illegal control of Israel over Gaza

remained in place and Israel continued to

de facto keep the region under its control in

almost every way. Today Gaza’s all border

gates, except for Rafah, territorial waters and

airspace are controlled by Israel. In 2007,

Israel imposed embargo on Gaza after the

people voted Hamas into power, banned the

entry of humanitarian supplies into and their

exit out of the region, struck public offices,

hospitals, schools and houses arbitrarily,

and is still carrying on this policy. This report

not only lists major milestones in extent and

consequences of the embargo on Gaza since

2007 but also provides impressions and

findings of aid workers of IHH Humanitarian

Relief Foundation that are carrying regular

relief efforts in the region and an IHH

team that visited the region in 2012.

Introduction

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Gaza Report November 20122

PALESTINE

EGYPT

MEDIT

ERRANEAN SEA

Rafah Crossing

point

Karni Crossing point

Sufa Crossing point

GAZA

Erez Crossing

point

Tal as-Sultan

Rafah

Ban-i Suheila

Al Qarara

Az Zawayda

Beit LahiyaBeit Hanoun

Fishing lim

it enfo

rced by Is

rael

Jabalia

Deyir al Balah

Khan Yunis

Abasan al Kabira

Kerem ShalomCrossing point

-

-

-

Located in Western Palestine near the

Egyptian border, Gaza has an area of 360

square-kilometers with a length of 41 km

and a width of between 6 to 12 km. The

region is controlled by the Palestinian

National Authority. It has a population

of 1,657,155 and about 1,105,000 Gaza

residents live in eight refugee camps

(Jabalia, Gaza, BeitLahia, BeitHanoun,

Dir al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Rafah and

AbasanKabir). Health, education and other

humanitarian needs of these refugees are

met by donations from the United Nations,

international aid agencies and Muslim

countries.

Where is Gaza?

The International Committee of the Red Cross-ICRC described in a statement on

14 June 2010 the impact of the embargo

on Gaza and its 1.5m inhabitants as

“unbearable and devastating” and

“collective punishment that clearly

violates Israel’s obligations as per

international humanitarian law”, pointing

to the removal of the blockade as the only

lasting solution to the crisis.

UN Human Rights council Fact-finding Mission Report (Article38), 27 September 2010

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After Hamas garnered big gains in Gaza in the 2006

Palestinian elections and came to power in 2007,

Israel, contradictory to rules of international law,

started imposing political and economic restrictions

to punish the Gaza people for their preference in

the elections. Israel declared the Gaza Strip “enemy

entity” and announced it would restrict goods

entering and leaving Gaza to put pressure on Hamas

under the pretext of “terror.” The illegal embargo

that was imposed by Israel and its allies around the

world turned Gaza into an open-air prison where

problems in education, health, economy and security

became widespread. In mid-2007, continuous Israeli

operations in Gaza and internal provocations brought

about a serious fighting between Hamas and Fatah,

the two powerful political groups in Gaza. Over 200

Palestinians were killed in the clashes. Hamas, which is

legally at power in Gaza as the winner of the elections,

came under political and economic pressure of

international community. The embargo shut border

gates of Gaza to the world one by one. The people

of Gaza were cut off from the rest of the world.

A people punished for their electoral preferences

On 27 December 2008, Israel launched Cast Lead

Operation and hit the Gaza people it had subjected

to a deadly embargo for 22 days. In the operation

Israeli military used white phosphorus, a weapon of

mass destruction that is banned to be used on civilian

population. In the air and land strikes that lasted until

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17 January 2009 Israel massacred 1500 civilians, more

than half of them children. The strikes wounded over

5000 people, destroyed more than 4000 buildings,

damaged another 200,000 and left 50,000 inhabitants

homeless. Hospitals, mosques, schools, factories,

business centers an even UN offices were leveled.

The Islamic University of Gaza, the only higher education

institution in the region, was also hit. Twenty-nine

ambulances and 122 health clinics were hit. Rescue and

treatment efforts were impeded. About 280 schools

were damaged; 9000 students who were affected

in the strikes were evacuated; 164 students and 12

teachers were killed; 454 students and five teachers

were wounded. Education halted and all schools were

closed during the strikes. Furthermore, 1500 workshops/

factories, 31 security facilities and 20 mosques were

destroyed. About 400,000 Gaza residents were cut off

from clean drinking supply. Greenhouses, olive groves

and croplands suffered huge damage. More than 60

percent of farmland in Northern Gaza was damaged

extensively. The fact that Israel used disproportionate

and systematic force, Dense Inert Metal Explosives

and phosphorus, weapons of mass destruction that

have not been restricted with a global convention

yet, was established in the Goldstone Report by a

UN Human Rights Council fact-finding mission.

In the Israeli attacks named Operation Pillar of

Defense on the Gaza Strip between 14-21 November

2012, Israel killed Ahmed Jabari, leader of Hamas’s

military wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in a

pinpoint strike on his car. Israel called up 75,000

reservists in preparation for a ground operation. In the

Israeli attacks 162 Palestinians, including 26 children

and 12 women, were killed and 1,200 were wounded.

The strikes forced 10,000 inhabitants to leave their

homes. In Gaza, where access to health services,

housing, education, food and other basic services is

restricted due to the Israeli embargo in place since

2007, hospitals are failing to provide quick medical

treatment to the wounded in emergency cases.

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Israel, which imposed a heavy embargo on Gaza when

Hamas became the de facto ruler of the region in

2007, is controlling four out of the five border gates in

Gaza. It sometimes keeps the crossings shut for weeks

and even months and prevents basic necessities,

medical materials and humanitarian supplies entering

and leaving the territory.

Border crossings

1. Rafah Gate: It is controlled by Egypt. Daily 300

Gaza residents are allowed to cross into Egypt

though this gate. Entry of goods and people

into Gaza, on the other hand, is problematic.

Those lacking a Palestinian identification

issued by the Ramallah administration are not

allowed into Gaza. People who request permit

to leave Gaza are made to wait for months,

which sometimes results in deaths of patients

in need of treatment and loss of employment

for workers and dismissal of students.

2. Erez Gate: The border gate that is the main

crossing for Gaza residents who make

a living by working in Israel has been

closed to Palestinians since 2007.

3. Karni Gate: The crossing was used for entry of

commercial goods into Gaza. Frequently closed

before 2007, the crossing was shut permanently

when Hamas came to power in 2007.

4. Sufa Gate: Used for entry of construction

materials into Gaza, the crossing has

been mostly closed since 2007.

5. Kerem Shalom Gate: Used for entry of commercial

goods and humanitarian supplies, the crossing

has been mostly closed since 2007.

Embargo on Gaza

The mission draws attention to the illegality of subjecting

civilians in occupied territories to collective punishment as

per the Article 33 of the Geneva Convention: “No protected

person may be punished for an offense he or she has not

personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all

measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”

The mission is of the opinion that one of the reasons

behind the blockade on Gaza is the punishment of the

Gaza people for voting Hamas. Together with restrictions

imposed on Gaza, Israel’s actions and policies undoubtedly

amount to what is defined in international law as “collec-

tive penalty.”

UN Human Rights Council Fact-finding Mission Report (Article 54), 27 September 2010

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Damage Gaza suffered under

EmbargoThe embargo imposed on Gaza has deprived the local

population of their economic, health, educational and

many other rights. The use of disproportionate force by

Israel has caused serious damage both to people and the

environment. There are five border gates in Gaza such

as Erez, Karni, Sufa, Kerem Shalom and Rafah. However,

food items, fuel, medical supplies and other humanitarian

materials have been prevented by Israel since 2007 from

entering and leaving the region through these gates.

Gaza residents are living in poverty and destitution and

are trying to provide their basic necessities thought

tunnels dug near Rafah border gate.

The mission’s description of the situation

in Gaza as deplorable is shared by others.

The situation in Gaza has been described as

“unsustainable.” It is impossible in the 21st

century to regard this situation as tolerable

and acceptable. It is baffling for anyone to

view living standards of the Gaza people as

acceptable.

UN Human Rights Council Fact-finding Mission Report (Article 275), 27 September 2010

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A. Economy

● Gaza, where people earn their income mostly from

farming, small-size manufacturing and fishing, is

failing even to reach the manufacturing rates of 15

years ago because of systematic policy of deliberate

impoverishment.

● Many Gaza inhabitants are facing the hardship to find

food or to earn the money to buy food.

● Israel has declared the waters three miles off the

coast of Gaza and further as “forbidden zone” and

thereby preventing Palestinians from using 85 % of

their territorial waters. The families making a living

from fishing are immensely affected by the naval

blockade.

● About 95% industrial enterprises in Gaza have shut

down, while the remaining 5% works with 20 to 50%

capacity.

● Unemployment rate is over 45%.

● Gaza inhabitants are forced to live on less than two

dollars a day.

● Since 180,000 civil servants, 210,000 workers and 80

% of free-lancers have lost employment since 2007,

the purchasing power of people has plummeted

and the prices of durable goods has surged due to

restrictions on entry of such goods into the region.

● Israel laid off 21,000 Palestinians working in Israel in

2005 and caused an economic loss of over $1m. In

addition, Israel sometimes keeps border gates shut

for months. Gaza residents who daily cross into Israel

for their jobs cannot work when gates are closed and

families of these workers are put at the risk of hunger.

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B. Energy

● Since October 2007, strict restrictions have been

imposed on fuel supply and delivery of electricity and

fuel has been largely limited.

● In Gaza, which has only one power station that works

with 30% capacity, daily power cuts of between eight

and 12 hours are experienced. Hospitals, businesses

and households are negatively affected by energy

shortages.

● Public services such as power and water deliveries

have to depend on UPS devices and generators;

however, the lack of spare parts of these devices

makes them unreliable.

C. Water

● In Gaza, where public services are disrupted because

of the embargo, daily about 80 million liter sewer

water is let flow into nature without being processed.

Combined with growing number of health problems

caused by pollution of sea water, the contamination

of surface and underground waters by sewer has left

only 5-10% of the water in the region potable.

● Around 26% of the population is suffering from

waterborne diseases.

D. Health

● Power cuts, shortages of clean drinking water, lack

of spare machinery parts and many other factors

make it difficult it to keep medical equipment

running and well-maintained.

● Patients needing emergency medical treatment

are dying because they are not allowed to leave

the region. Getting a permit to leave Gaza for

medical treatment is tied to a long and tedious

procedure.

● Restrictions on leaving the region have prevented

medical staff from improving their vocational

knowledge and training outside.

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● Power cuts are threatening the lives of patients in

need of permanent treatment such as dialysis and

cancer patients.

● Patients are at the risk of death since the entry of

medicines and medical tools and equipment into the

region is restricted.

● Strikes on Gaza not only cause material damage

but also have a devastating impact on people’s

psychology. Almost 90% of local children are

suffering from post-trauma stress disorder.

E. Security and arbitrary actions

● Israel claims it is threatened by short-range missiles

Hamas possess while it is in possession of nuclear

arsenal and frequently strikes Gaza under this

pretext.

● The Hamas government has been particularly

avoiding since early 2006 provocative actions

against Israel. However, Israel has continued

bombardments and detentions. It has exploited the

tension in the region as a tool to prove to the world

its security concerns.

● Israeli troops are arbitrarily firing on civilians, causing

deaths and injuries.

● Israel has arbitrarily detained and jailed more than

10,000 Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank.

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F. Strikes

● Israeli artillery units fired over 6000 rounds of

artillery into northern Gaza in a nine-month long

operation in September 2005 and caused a lasting

damage to the region, even killing children having a

picnic on the beach.

● The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs-OCHA stated that Israel expanded

restrictions on Gaza fishermen ahead of the 2008

Cast Lead Operation. The Palestinian fishermen

entering restricted area come under warning

shots of Israeli Navy and in some cases are directly

assaulted. Israeli troops confiscate fishing boats it

seizes in raids.

● Israel, which has committed since the day it occupied

the region arbitrarily moving tanks on civilians,

shooting at them, willfully injuring, damaging houses

and farmland, massacred 1400 civilians in the Cast

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Lead Operation between 27 December 2008 and 17

January 2009. The number later rose to 1500 with

deaths occurring from severe injuries.

● Between 28 September 2000 and January 2011, 5081

Palestinians lost their lives due to attacks by Jewish

settlers, Israeli bombardments and restrictions on

treatment of Palestinian patients.

G. Restrictions and attacks on

humanitarian workers

● A land convoy named Viva Palestina was organized

to deliver relief aid to Gaza in 2009. The convoy

included 200 vehicles, medical supplies and

humanitarian materials. After a long wait because

of Egypt’s blocking, the convoy crossed into Gaza

through Rafah border gate. The vehicles and

humanitarian supplies in the convoy were donated

to the Gaza people.

● On 31 May 2010, Israel attacked the Freedom

Flotilla that was carrying humanitarian aid to

Gaza through international waters and killed nine

aid volunteers and wounded another 56. In a

statement issued in the wake of the attack, the UN

Security Council described the situation in Gaza as

“unsustainable.”

H. Humanitarian situation

● The humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is caused by the

embargo put in place in 2007 has reached worrying

levels. International community and the UN Security

Council have submitted their concerns in various

reports to decision-making bodies and urged urgent

action to resolve the problem.

● The embargo has caused widespread poverty among

the Gaza population and the dependency on external

aid has reached 80%.

● About 54% of Gaza inhabitants have no access to

food, while 12% have difficulties in accessing food.

● The number of refugees in “extreme poverty” was

100,000 at the time the embargo was imposed, while

this number has reached 300,000 as of today.

● In Gaza, 61% of the population is at the threat of

hunger.

● Due to forced changes in eating habits, disorders tied

to vitamin and minerals deficiency have been found

particularly among children.

● Around 86,000 homes that were damaged in Israeli

strikes have to be rebuilt.

● There are 25,000 orphan children in Gaza.

● Out of 1,657,155 Gaza inhabitants 1,105,000 are living

in refugee camps.

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● The embargo on Gaza should be lifted entirely to

put an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

● In this regard, we can list a number of suggestions

that can be used to end the Gaza crisis:

● The embargo on Gaza should be lifted

immediately and unconditionally.

● Food security of the local people

should be ensured.

● Political and military restrictions on the

delivery of assistance to the region and aid to

Gaza should be increased systematically.

● Arbitrary obstacles to entry into and

exit from Gaza should be removed.

● To put an end to Israeli attacks, the

Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Arab

League, the UN as well as all Muslim countries

should take a decision to act together.

● To revive economy of Gaza, the people should

be offered employment opportunities and to this

end Israeli obstacles should done away with.

● International guarantee should be put in

place to let Palestinian products reach global

markets and countries should urge quotas for

the importation of Palestinian products.

● Investment in the energy sector of Palestine

should be encouraged to lower its dependency

on Israel and an international mechanism should

be set up to protect investments and investors.

● Efforts to found an independent Palestinian

state should be stepped up.

● Civil servants and workers in Gaza should be

given their jobs back unless if Israel refuses to

take action on this matter. Their payments should

be made from an international fund to be set up

until an independent Palestinian state is founded.

● A safe aid corridor should be opened to deliver

humanitarian supplies to the region.

Suggestions for solution

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Relief efforts of IHH Humanitarian

Relief Foundation in Gaza

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation has been closely

following developments about the Palestinian question

and offering support for a solution. IHH not only delivers

humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the occupied

territories but also exerts utmost effort to advocate the

rights of Palestinians in the field of human rights.

It, furthermore, offers help to Palestinians refugees in

Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and elsewhere around the world.

The following are some of the relief efforts carried out

since 2009 in the Gaza Strip:

A. Cash-aid in-kind and periodic help

● In Gaza, 2533 orphans were cared for in 2009 as part

of the “Sponsor Family System,” while the number

reached 9731 as of March 2012.

● IHH has been performing sacrificial slaughters and

distributing the meat to the needy in Gaza every

Qurban season since the day it was established.

● Every year during the holy month Ramadan food

packages and hot meals are distributed in Gaza.

● Every year needy students at state schools are provided

with books, stationery sets and bags. And every

semester aid supplies worth €30,000 are distributed.

● Orphans children are clothed every year and Qurban

and Ramadan seasons.

● Cash assistance of €2000 were given to 1000

families whose homes were destroyed in Israeli

strikes.

● Each of the 1300 martyr families were donated

€1000 cash aid.

● For one year 1250 food packages, each worth €40,

were distributed in Gaza.

● Psychological support and rehabilitation sessions

were held at 70 state schools in cooperation with

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Gaza Education Ministry following the Cast Lead

Operation. The cost of the program that included

20,000 students was €25,000.

● Search-recue works were carried out in Gaza’s al-

Mugraga area after the 2010 flooding disaster and

hot meals were provided to the families who could

return to their homes for safety reasons and the

affected people were also offered cash assistance.

The total amount of the assistance realized at

€55,000.

● Thirty couples were helped get married in Gaza in

2010. The total cost of the project was €30,000.

● In cooperation with Gaza Ministry of Health 600

people in different parts of Gaza were offered training

in first aid for two months. The cost of the program

was €20,000.

● A six-month psychological support and rehabilitation

program was organized for 1200 students in three

areas of Gaza. The program cost was €35,000.

● In BeitLahia, 100 families were provided mushrooms

to grow and training on how to cultivate mushroom.

The program cost was €13,000.

● Ten families were given three pairs of rabbits each,

cages and six-month feed for the rabbits. The project

cost €600 per family.

● A six-month training course on how to make

bakery products was offered to 300 women. The

participants contributed to their family income by

selling the products they made during the training.

The total cost of the training was €23,000.

● In May 2012 in Gaza, 8,800 families were provided

1,000 mattresses, 2,000 blankets, and 2,960 items of

clothing. The project cost €85,600.

● In June 2012, the Municipality of Beit Hanoun was

donated a waste collection vehicle and fuel supply.

About 50,000 people are benefitting from the

project. The total cost of the project was $165,000.

● In June 2012, nazhr animals were sacrificed in

Gaza and the fresh meat was distributed to 1,050

inhabitants. The project cost €8,750.

● In September 2012, basic necessities were purchased

for the Gaza Orphan Office, where 11,000 orphans are

staying. The total cost of the project was €10,000.

● In November 2012, food packages were provided to

2,223 families in need. The project cost €80,000.

● Food aid was delivered to 2,000 families in the

Gaza Strip. The cost of the project that started in

November is €56,000.

● In November 2012, the Gaza Health Ministry was

supplied with fuel to run its generators. The project

cost $50,000.

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● Annual expenses of Rafah Women Training Center,

which is training 360 Gaza women, were met. The

total cost of the project was €18,200.

B. Works in education, health and

housing fields

Education

● Maintenance, renovation and furnishing jobs of

Dar al-Erkam Turkey-Palestine Primary School,

which has 750 students, were completed. The

classrooms were equipped with LCD projectors and

a 60-computer technology laboratory was set up.

● Education at the school where almost half of

the students are children of the killed or jailed

Palestinians is free.

● Sewing training courses were offered for women

in Rafah, Khan Younis, Tel al-Islam, Naseer area and

Jabalia. Every three months 200 people graduate

from these courses. The courses have had 2400

students in the last three years. Annual expenses of

one training course are €20,000.

● Three computer centers were set up in Rafah, Tel

al-Islam and Jabalia for children of killed or jailed

Palestinians. Children of poor families can also use

the centers. The annual expenses of the centers are

€60,000.

● Laboratory and computer buildings of the Islamic

University of Gaza, which were destroyed in Israeli

strikes, were rebuilt and the conference hall was

repaired. The project cost €720,000.

● Gaza Technology University, which was damaged in

the 2009 Furkan War, was repaired. The project cost

€30,000.

● Computer, English, management and business

administration classes are offered at Osmanlı Cultural

Center inside IHH Office in Gaza. Each year 250

students graduate from these trainings. The project

cost is €20,000.

● In Rafah, each year 240 children attend training

on how to memorize the Quran. The project cost is

€20,000.

● In June 2012, a year-long program was initiated to train

women at Tel al-Hawa Women Training Center. The cost

of the project is €20,000.

● Tel al-Hawa Computer and Cultural Center, which will

serve 65 students, was opened in June 2012. One year

cost of the project is €29,500.

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● Khan Younis Vocational Training Center, which will

train 160 women, was inaugurated in June 2012. One

year cost of the project is €20,000.

Health

● IHH, which has been providing since it was founded

medications and medical materials to Palestinians

in need, brought in the wake of the Furqan War, 59

wounded Palestinians who could not be treated at

Gaza hospitals to Turkey for treatment.

● A lithotripter machine that was taken to Rafah-

Gaza with a land convoy in 2010 was set up at

Jamiyat al-Islam Health Center. The project cost was

approximately $60,000.

● The furnishing of a Maternity Hospital, which was

constructed by BeitHanoun Municipality, was

undertaken and the hospital was opened. The project

cost €500,000.

● Ultrasound, endoscopy machine, various

consumables as well as medicines were taken to

al-Huda Health Clinic in Tel al-Islam with a land

convoy in 2010. The other health centers in the

region were also provided with various medical

materials.

● In the Gaza Strip, 10,746 orphans are cared for in

Sponsor Family System as of November 2012. The

orphans are provided with educational assistance

and health screening. One year cost of the project is

€4,384,386.

Housing

● Three-storey buildings with six flat were constructed

for six families whose houses at Gaza border area were

destroyed in Israeli strikes. The project cost €130,000.

● Rebuilding is in progress for houses that were

destroyed in the Furqan War in Karame, Huzaa (50

houses were leveled in Huzaa only) and Nuseirat areas.

Three of the houses were completed and handed to

families in November 2011. The total cost of the project

is €160,000.

● In Karame, Huzaa and Nuseirat areas, houses of families

in need were repaired and ten new houses were

built for the families. The houses were named after

the activists who were killed in the Israeli raid on the

Freedom Flotilla while taking humanitarian aid to Gaza

in 2010. The project cost is €75,000.

● Gaza Port, which has been heavily damaged in Israeli

strikes, was repaired for the docking of ships in the

Freedom Flotilla. Deepening, coast repair and road-

building jobs were completed in three months. The

project cost was €100,000.

● A house that was destroyed in Israeli strikes on Jabalia

was rebuilt and handed to the family in July 2012. The

project cost €15,000.

● A rehabilitation center that includes a swimming pool and

sports hall was built for the Municipality of Beit Hanoun to

serve 50,000 inhabitants. The project cost €57,000.

● In November 2012, a water well named Balah was built in

Deir al-Balah region to provide 65,000 people with clean

water. The total cost of the project was €5,000.

● Medical equipment and materials were provided to

hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The cost of the ongoing

project that began in October 2012 is €115,000.

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Palestinians, who have been living under occupation

since 1948, demand peace and quiet. However,

living conditions of Palestinians who have been

squeezed into the West Bank and Gaza Strip and

whose right to life, work and free movement has

been usurped became unbearable in the wake of

the 2006 elections in Gaza. Israel declared Gaza

as “enemy entity” in 2006 when Hamas came to

power and started imposing an embargo on the

region. It restricted goods and products entering

and leaving Gaza and reduced fuel supplies. It set

up checkpoints in different parts of Gaza to prevent

Palestinians from leaving their own land. It put in

place a policy that almost paralyzed movement

of goods and people with checkpoints it set up

at Erez, Karni, Sufa, and Kerem Shalom. Although

governments around the world are overlooking the

illegal embargo on Gaza with realpolitik concerns,

a number of national and international civil society

organizations brought the inhumane situation in

Gaza to the attention of the world with humanitarian

aid initiatives they organized.

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, which has

been exerting efforts since it was founded to help

reinstate usurped Palestinian rights and delivering

humanitarian relief to the region, took part in two

massive organizations to end the embargo. It was

part of the Viva Palestina land convoy that crossed

into Gaza with 200 vehicles through Rafah border

crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border and donated

the vehicles to the local people. IHH was also one

of the biggest organizers of the international Gaza

Freedom Flotilla in May 2010. The flotilla that set out

to take relief aid to Gaza from sea came under the

attack of Israeli armed forces on 31 May while sailing

in international waters in the Mediterranean. The

attack on the Freedom Flotilla that aimed to draw

global attention to the embargo on Gaza killed nine

aid volunteers and wounded 56. All the activists on

the flotilla were detained and jailed. Uğur Süleyman

Söylemez, one of the activists wounded in the

attack, is still in coma. The Gaza embargo and rights

violations against Palestinians moved upward on

the global agenda following the attack on the flotilla

and the illegality of the embargo was reiterated

by governments and leading global civil society

organizations.

The embargo that has created numerous problems

for Palestinians in Gaza in education, health,

economic and security areas has turned the region

into an open-air prison. The Gaza people who have

been subjected to inhumane conditions caused by

the embargo are still hoping for a helping hand to be

extended to them.

Conclusion

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Gaza Report November 201218

Sources1. European Union Border Assistance Mission in Rafah, http://www.eubam-rafah.eu

node/351; http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/2010/Illegal%20Closur.pdf

2. ORSAM (Middle East Strategic Studies Center), Gaza Question: Israeli blockade,

international law, Palmer Report and Turkey’s approach, Report no: 71, September

2011

3. World Food ProgrammeReport, http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/

resources/Full_Report_1389.pdf

4. UN Human Rights Council fact-finding Mission Report, 27 September 2010, http://

news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middleeast/03/v3_israel_palestinians/maps/html/

population_settlements.stm

5. http://hopeandplay.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76%3

Acampaign-to-wake-up-the-british-parliament&catid=15%3Aoccupied-

palestineterritories-fundraising-events&Itemid=51

6. 6. Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, http://www.alzaytouna.net/

arabic/?c=1523&a=137069

7. 7. http://www.hukuk.gazi.edu.tr/editor/dergi/12_41.pdf

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