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November 2012GAZA REPORT
Gaza Report November 2012II
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
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
Gaza Report November 2012 3
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
Gaza Report November 20124
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.
Gaza Report November 2012 5
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
Gaza Report November 20126
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
Gaza Report November 2012 7
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.
Gaza Report November 20128
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.
Gaza Report November 2012 9
● 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.
Gaza Report November 201210
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
Gaza Report November 2012 11
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.
Gaza Report November 201212
● 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
Gaza Report November 2012 13
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
Gaza Report November 201214
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.
Gaza Report November 2012 15
● 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.
Gaza Report November 201216
● 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.
Gaza Report November 2012 17
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
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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