Population density: 11,060 people per square mile, the most densely populated area in the world
Percentage of population who are refugees: 70%
Unemployment rate: 45.5%
Percentage of population dependent on foreign aid: 86%
Timeline
1967-2005: Israel occupies the Gaza Strip, establishing 21 settlements throughout
September 2005: Israel unilaterally disengages from Gaza, removing settlements but maintaining control of the borders, the coastline and air space
January 2006: Hamas wins Palestinian Parliamentary elections
January 2007: Fighting between Hamas and Fatah results in the ousting of Fatah from Gaza
June 2007: Israel seals Gaza’s borders and launching a comprehensive siege of the strip
June 2008: Egypt brokers a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel
THE BLOCKADE AND CURRENT SITUATION IN GAZA
The Gaza Strip has been under a strict Israeli military blockade since June of 2007. Since Israel’s imposition of the blockade, the 1.5 million Palestinians of Gaza have relied on less than a quarter of the volume of imported supplies that they received in 2005. Israel maintains control of Gaza’s borders and determines, on a case-by-case basis, what is and what is not permitted to enter. Banned items have included pasta, shoes, shampoo, nuts, matches, candles, mattresses, blankets, tea and coffee. Since the Israeli military’s offensive against Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, building materials have been denied passage into Gaza almost without exception, leaving the civilians of the Gaza Strip living largely in poverty and with little hope of seeing their situation improve.
Food and Water
According to the United Nations, two-thirds of Palestinians living in Gaza are food insecure.
Half of the 1.5 million civilians in Gaza rely on international aid for their basic staple foods. The food provided by nongovernmental organizations accounts for about two-thirds of what is needed for a healthy diet, but, since the blockade began, the remaining one-third has been difficult, if not impossible, for many to obtain. When Israel closes border crossings, not even nongovernmental organizations delivering needed food aid are permitted to enter Gaza.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Israel’s 2008-2009 offensive against Gaza resulted in approximately $180 million of damage to the agricultural sector in Gaza, which had been the only stable source of food outside of international aid since the imposition of the blockade. The Palestinian Authority estimates that 15% of farmland was completely destroyed during Israel’s offensive.
During the first half of 2008, less than 40% of the fuel necessary for supporting Gaza’s already insufficient sewage system was allowed to pass through the blockade.
As of June 2009, 28,000 civilians were still without access to clean, piped water.
Medical Supplies and Services
According to the World Health Organization, before Israel’s military offensive, up to 459 essential medicines were completely unavailable due to Israel’s blockade.
Before Israel’s military offensive, Gaza had only 133 hospital beds per 100,000 people. Six hospitals suffered severe damage during the offensive, further reducing this ratio.
An unknown number of civilians have died while waiting for or after being denied the Israeli security clearance required in order to seek specialized treatment outside of Gaza. In 2006, approximately 10% of such requests were denied; in 2008, prior to Israel’s military offensive against Gaza the number rose to 44%.
Older medical equipment in Gaza remains in disrepair because spare parts and the engineers required to perform the necessary repairs have not been granted access under the blockade.
Building Supplies
No gasoline or diesel for cars has been allowed into Gaza since November 2008.
Approximately 50% of the cooking fuel needed in Gaza has been permitted entry since November 2008.
Gaza’s only power plant has run out of fuel and has been shut down several times since 2007. Today, the plant runs at about two-thirds capacity for lack of fuel.
Before Israel’s military offensive against Gaza, all of Gaza’s factories producing building materials had been forced to close due to the inability to obtain raw materials.
Not a single pane of glass has been permitted entry into Gaza since the evacuation of Israeli troops following Israel’s military offensive against Gaza.
The Economy
As of June 2009, 70% of Gazans lived below the poverty line. But for international humanitarian aid, 80% of the population of Gaza would be living in poverty.
Unemployment in Gaza has risen from 30% in 2007 to 40% in 2008 to 65% in 2009.
The United Nations refers to the economic damage resulting from the blockade as irreversible.
Before Israel’s blockade, 3,900 industrial operations employed 35,000 people. By June 2008, only 90 such operations were still functional, employing 860 people.
Before 2007, exports of furniture, food and textiles worth approximately $500,000 a day constituted the foundation of the economy in Gaza. Since the imposition of the blockade, Gaza’s only exports have been small shipments of strawberries and flowers, the economic impact of which is negligible.
Aside from exports, the inability to obtain imported materials under the blockade has made it impossible for Gazans to produce even that which is needed within the Gaza Strip.
The nearly 40,000 farmers whose livelihoods were based on the export of crops have been without income since the imposition of the blockade.
Recommendations Made by Major International Organizations
The International Committee of the Red Cross strongly recommends that goods and persons be permitted free passage across borders, thus allowing the people of Gaza to rebuild their economy, their infrastructure and their lives.
Amnesty International considers the Israeli blockade of Gaza a form of collective punishment, a tactic illegal under international law. Amnesty International calls for the borders to open immediately.
A coalition of eight international human rights organizations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have called on the international community to unequivocally condemn Israel’s blockade as illegal and inhumane, and to demand an end of the blockade as part of a larger dialogue process between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
