Gaza blockade: From limited aid to contracting economy, glimpse at humanitarian impact

The Gaza Strip is a 139sq mile coastal enclave that houses over two million Palestinians. In 2006, the Islamic resistance movement Hamas seized power, overthrowing the Fatah leadership. A year later, Israel along with Egypt imposed a blockade on the strip. The reason they gave was to prevent Hamas from accessing weaponry and funds. Over the years, they have time and again opened and closed the borders, however, its repercussions have severely impacted Palestine.

Timeline of blockade

It was in 2007 that Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah aka Hamas forcefully seized power from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority in the Gaza Strip. They overthrew the now-dissolved Fatah political party and seized power in the strip. The overhaul struck a nerve with the zionists, who then along with Egypt, imposed a total air, water and land blockade on the 139 sq kilometre sliver of land. The Israeli Administration had backed their move by stressing that it would prevent Hamas from bolstering its combat capabilities, albeit experts and aid organisations likened it to years of ‘unlawful collective punishment’ under international law.

Restrictions on the movement of goods and people have severely affected both the industrial and agricultural sectors and undermined essential services including those related to health, hygiene and electricity service. A recent report by humanitarian information portal ReliefWeb stated that “Gaza’s energy sector has been the most affected as a result of Israel’s systematic targeting of electricity networks and the protracted and repeated ban on the entry of fuel, with devastating effects on the implementation of all related services and activities in the Gaza Strip’.

“The result (of the blockade)has been the near-collapse of Gaza’s regional economy and its isolation from the Palestinian economy and the rest of the world,” the United Nations which Israel accuses of being biased said in a statement. 

However, a source told Republic Media Network that the Israeli administration tried multiple times to negotiate with Hamas and put a partial end to the blockade. The then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Hamas if they could allow trucks carrying food, medicines and other essentials to enter Gaza. However, they were denied permission.

What are the repercussions? 

The Jewish state has cent per cent control over anything and everything that enters or leaves the strip. Movement is only allowed via the commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom- which is majorly used to transport essentials- food, fuel and medicine as well as other basic materials required for industrial businesses and factories, agriculture and fishing, and infrastructure and construction projects. However, more than often Israel denies entry permission to them citing their dual-use, which is both for civilian as well as military use.

Since 2007, both Israel and Egypt have been imposing start-stop restrictions on the movement of goods and people through the border. However, this has triggered an electricity crisis in the strip as power is generally generated from gas, which needs to be imported. It is worth noting that the power struggle worsened after its major power plant was obliterated in the 2014 Gaza War.

In addendum, the blockade has restricted the Palestinian fishermen to fish just eleven nautical miles or less offshore. However, anglers often complain that most of the fish are available much farther, in waters that are not accessible. An additional problem that they face is that of increased fuel prices to their boats, which keeps them close to the shores.

“Because of the wall, there is no freedom at all, no liberty. Live has completely changed from what it was before. There is no peace of mind at all. I only think about keeping my children safe and out of harm’s way”, widow and mother-of-seven Um Fadi told the Associated Press.

Notably, the Israeli blockade has exacerbated the already existing water scarcity in Gaza. Last month, a joint statement by Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated, “The long-term Israeli blockade has caused a serious deterioration of water security in Gaza, making 97% of the water contaminated. The residents of the besieged enclave are forced to witness the slow poisoning of their children and loved ones,” it said. The contaminated and saline water is also jeopardising the health of the residents. Speaking to Associated Press, Dr Abdallah al-Kishawi said that Water pollution has led to a 13-14% annual increase in the number of patients admitted with kidney problems to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital.

“Gaza is largely dependent upon fuel for its electricity, including to pump clean water from wells into homes. With the disruption in the supply causing a shortage of fuel, hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza will soon have no access to basic hygiene,” said Shane Stevenson, Oxfam Country Director in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. 

Hamas’ tunnel web to counter blockade

As the blockade severed, Gaza’s de facto rulers constructed a vast network of tunnels to counter the blockade. The vast ‘metro’ network not only aids Hamas in smuggling operatives across the conflict-hit border but also serves as the only means for millions of Gazans to access goods and services from Egypt and seldom Israel. A report by Al Jazeera disclosed that Hamas uses the tunnels to provide a passage to their leaders as well as shield their ammunitions from potential air attacks by the zionists. On the Israeli border, these tunnels are particularly used for incursions while down south they serve as a channel to transport goods from Egypt bringing millions of dollars in import tax to Hamas.

Image: AP