The Israeli government declared the entire Gaza Strip “a hostile entity” on September 19th 2007, citing the threats posed by a Hamas rule, who were democratically elected in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections, and continued Palestinian rocket attacks. Israel’s goal in using the terminology “hostile entity” was to reduce their responsibility for the safety and well being of Gaza’s civilian population, though the United Nations (UN) and others in the international community promptly rejected this assertion. Yet additional restrictions on Gaza followed, including the complete closure of all border crossings, de facto sealing the strip from the rest of the world, disruption of power supplies and fuel shipments, increased monitoring of funds, a cessation of visits to political prisoners, and the allowing of only essential food and medicine to be brought into Gaza.
Because Israel retains control of all land borders, air space, and sea access and consequently the supply all goods and services to the Gaza Strip, it is under occupation according to international law. Further, international law clearly forbids the targeting of civilians. “Collective punishment” – enacting punitive measures against a population because of the actions of a few – is expressly forbidden by international law and also is prohibited by Israel’s own laws. Moreover, the “general welfare” of the civilian population is the responsibility of the occupying power. In both cases, Israel has abandoned and ignored their obligations.
Humanitarian Impacts of the Siege on Gaza
Food & Nutrition
- Over 80% of Gazans now rely on humanitarian assistance from international sources, with over 1.1 million people getting their daily nourishment from food aid (total population of Gaza – 1.5 million)
- 50% of Gaza households are short of fresh drinking water
- 50% of the children of Gaza are malnourished, 32% are suffering 2nd degree malnourishment, and 16% 3rd degree malnutrition
- 10.7% of the children in Gaza under five are suffering stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition
Health & Sanitation
- Entire hospitals are left without electricity for 8-12 hours per day
- 25-30% of Gazans have no running water
- 40-50 million liters of sewage flow untreated into the sea each day
- Gaza lacks the tools and cement to make any significant repairs to its infrastructure
- From December 2006-December 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 20 patients, including 5 children, died because they were not allowed to cross the border into Israel in order to receive medical treatment
- In December 2007, over one-third of patients who applied a temporary permit to leave the Strip were denied
- In January 2008, 19% of necessary medicines and 31% of vital medical equipment were lacking in Gaza and many departments in emergency medical centers and ambulances have ceased operation due to lack of fuel
Education
- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported in late 2007 that nearly 80% of children in grades four through nine failed to pass their classes
- Over 2,000 children dropped out of school during the 2007 academic year
- In September 2007, UNRWA reported that 30% of their students were without textbooks, which the Israeli army prevented from entering Gaza
As a result of 11 consecutive days of Israeli shelling, the humanitarian conditions in Gaza have deteriorated sharply. Not only is the amount of aid crossing into Gaza insufficient to sustain the population, the fighting inside Gaza has made it extremelty difficult to distribute the resources that are available. According to UN humanitarian coordinator Max Gaylard, "Large numbers of people, including many children, are hungry, they are cold and without ready access to medical facilities, without access to electricity and running water, above all they are terrified - that by any measure is a humanitarian crisis."
Currently, over one million people are without electricity and hospitals are running on emergency generators. Five of UNRWA's medical clinics have closed because of the fighting and a number of emergency workers have died while trying to reach the wounded.
Seventy percent of Gazans are without water and face dire food shortages with only enough supplies for the next 48 hours. According to the UN, 23 of Gaza's 47 bakeries have been forced to close due to shortages of cooking gas, and another 14 are operating sporadically.
Sewage is flowing into populated areas, farmland and the sea, as five of Gaza's 37 wastewater pumping stations have shut down because of power cuts.
To prevent an even further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, it is imperative that Israel immediately accept a cease-fire agreement and indefinitely open all border crossings to allow for the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
No comments:
Post a Comment