Gaza's eight-year blockade has brought world-wide condemnation from diplomats and human rights groups. In the last nine months and since Egypt all but closed the Rafah Crossing, living conditions in Gaza have bordered on the infernal, and even the Israelis are now worried about the conditions in the besieged Strip, which has been ruled by the Islamist group Hamas since 2007. “It is not in our interests to keep Gaza simmering like a pressure cooker as it may explode in Israel's face,” Sami Turgeman, commander of the South Command in the Israeli army, said recently. Israel started its blockade of Gaza in 2006 when Hamas won the legislative elections, but tightened it a year later when Hamas expelled Fatah from the Strip in summer 2007. The 1.8 million Palestinians who live in Gaza have lived in reduced circumstances since then, but as long as Egypt turned a blind eye to the tunnel trade into the Strip things were not so bad. Cheap supplies of fuel, medicine, and building material allowed for a modicum of prosperity in the 350 square km Strip squeezed between Israeli and Egypt. But the Egyptian clampdown on the tunnels right after the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood from power in early July last year spelled disaster for the marooned inhabitants of Gaza. Of the seven crossing points that used to connect Gaza with the outside world, six are now closed. After taking up his post in September last year, Turgeman told Israeli television that “there is no substitute for the rule of Hamas in Gaza. Anyone who rules Gaza must be strong enough to impose his will on the large number of military groups.” He added that it was not in Israel's favour to “weaken” anyone who rules Gaza. This is perhaps why Israel has allowed Gaza to receive a bare minimum of supplies through the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom in Hebrew) Crossing, situated in the southeast of the Gaza Strip. However, it has not been unusual for Israel to close this crossing in order to pressure the Hamas government into securing the 42 km-long border between Israel and the Strip. Last October, Israel closed Karm Abu Salem after it discovered a 2.5 km-long tunnel running from the borders of Khan Yunis in the south of the Strip to a settlement inside Israel. The Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, admitted to having built the tunnel. Another closure, which took place last week, followed the firing of missiles at Israel by the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad group. The latter said that it had fired the missiles to avenge the killing of three of its members in an Israeli raid. The Israelis reacted by staging raids on various Gaza-based Palestinian factions, leading to the worst flare-up in the Strip since the fighting of November 2012, which ended in an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire. As prospects of another all-out confrontation loomed, Gaza inhabitants went through a routine that has become familiar in the besieged Strip. They stocked up on fuel, bought canned supplies, and made sure that their generators worked. Power outages have been the most visible outcome of the military confrontations in Gaza, which produces less than 20 per cent of its own electricity supply. Although the scenes of crowds at petrol stations as a result did not last long, they offered a grim reminder of previous and perhaps future suffering. Israel has staged two major wars on Gaza over the past seven years. One, dubbed Operation Cast Lead, started on 27 December 2008, and the second, dubbed Operation Pillar of Defence, began on 14 November 2012. Gaza was under Israeli administration until summer 2005, when the then Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon decided to pull out unilaterally from the Strip. It is through the Karm Abu Salem Crossing that Gaza receives nearly 40 per cent of its needs of consumer goods, especially food and clothes. When the Crossing is closed, which happens during Israeli holidays and times of military tension, the beleaguered inhabitants of Gaza have to fall back on their stocks of food and fuel. Jamal Al-Khodari, a parliamentarian and chairman of the People's Committee to Confront the Siege, said that the closure of the Karm Abu Salem Crossing constituted collective punishment against the Strip's inhabitants. “The closure leads to fuel and other shortages, which results in power outages that can have serious health and humanitarian consequences,” he said. Al-Khodari added that the blockades had led to the halt of projects of a total value of US$500 million. Israel allows food and some consumer items to go through Karm Abu Salem. But a wide range of other necessary products is blocked because of what Israel calls “double use,” a term that applies to civilian products that could be used to make weapons. According to Al-Khodari, the shortages of building and raw materials have undermined the economy, sending unemployment and inflation to unprecedented heights. He estimated that one out of every two Gazans was currently out of work. However, ironically the blockade on Gaza has led to stronger commercial ties with Israel. According to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, Israel exported electricity, fuel, and water worth nearly 1.3 billion shekels to Gaza last year. Israeli products are available in most shops in Gaza, and are clearly marked “Made in Israel,” the same newspaper noted. Power cuts in Gaza can last for 12 hours or more every day, which means that businesses and even households find it hard to conduct routine business. The power cuts became worse after Israel shelled the only power station in Gaza in mid-2006, right after the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. When the Gazans had access to cheap fuel from Egypt, they simply relied on generators to keep their homes and businesses powered. But when the tunnels were closed, their access to fuel was greatly reduced. Because of the fuel shortages, Gaza's power station stopped working for a few weeks in late 2013. The ensuing crisis was punctuated by accusations between Gaza and Ramallah, as Israeli gas supplies to Gaza were taxed by the Fatah-controlled government in the West Bank. To defuse the situation, Qatar paid the taxes and promised to do so for the next few months. But the long-term arrangements are unclear. Sabri Abdel-Rahman, who owns a generator shop in Gaza, said that his business had been affected. “The electricity crisis paralyses our lives. I have to keep changing my opening times to accommodate the power supply. Sometimes I work mornings and sometimes evenings,” he remarked. Meanwhile Gaza residents have been trying to economise in any way they can. Instead of buying gas generators, they are now purchasing electrically operated generators. These are more expensive, but also easier to use and cheaper to operate. Once plugged into the electricity outlets, they store power and then release it during blackouts. Hanan Ismail, a mother of four, said that “I wait for the electricity supply every day to finish cooking, washing, and heating the water. This situation threatens the schooling of my children, who cannot study properly,” she added. Gaza needs 360 megawatts of power every day, but gets only 200 megawatts. Israel supplies Gaza with 120 megawatts, Egypt with 28, and its own power station with 60 or so. Imports of medicine and medical supplies have also been irregular. According to the Gaza ministry of health, the blockade has led to shortages of nearly 30 per cent of medical supplies. Nearly 80 per cent of construction work by the ministry has also come to a halt. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Gaza health minister Mofid Al-Mekhalilati asked the Egyptian authorities to reopen the Rafah Crossing for humanitarian purposes and medical supplies. According to Palestinians statistics, nearly 9,000 patients leave Gaza annually for treatment in Israel, Jerusalem, and the West Bank. When Rafah was closed, many of these were able either to go to Israel or be treated in Gaza by visiting medical missions. But Gaza's recurring power outages have caused damage to medical equipment, including dialysis and cardiology machines, the minister said. International officials have voiced concern over the situation. The EU has warned of grave consequences for regional peace unless the economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza improves. UN Human Rights Council expert Richard Falk recently wrote a 22-page report on the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, in which he described the situation there as “gruesome.”
