The Conditions in Gaza
Armin Rosen of Business Insider recently wrote an article entitled “Gaza Is Almost Totally Cut Off From The World, And It’s Getting Ugly” after he visited Gaza. In the report, he discusses the conditions in Gaza, explaining the living conditions, travel issues, as well as access to Gaza. For example, it is very difficult to travel into Gaza, as “It’s all but off-limits to tourists; journalists only visit with the aid of an Israeli Government Press Office card and permission from a media office closely overseen by Hamas.” Furthermore, regarding the economic and social conditions of Gaza, Rosen explains that “NGOs, foreign donors, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which had a $238 million budget for Gaza in 2013, provide nearly all of the Strip’s basic services, and more than half of the youth population is unemployed. There’s no real postal delivery…”
In addition, because of the Israeli occupation of Gaza, they have significantly restricted trade, and have issued a blockade of Gaza by sea.
He explains what he saw in Gaza, when went into the occupied territory, contrasting from the other side of Gaza, saying:
“When I crossed the border at 8:30 a.m. on a Monday morning in mid-November, the only other travelers in a gaping and empty departure hall were a trio of Swedish aid workers. There was only one desk open out of 15, and no one lined up behind me. On one side of the border, marked by a sealed and probably blast-proof metal sliding door cut into a 15-foot-high-wall, is Israel, a place with smooth highways and traffic signals, plentiful western products, potable running water, 24-hour electricity, postal service, cinemas, rule of law, and regular garbage collection.
On the other is a place with frequent power outages and other signs of state collapse, where regional strife and internal disorder keep people cut off from the rest of the world and from each other as well.”
He also explains the decimated conditions of many of Gaza’s buildings from the recent Israeli invasion.
These are just some of the points that he makes.
It is critical that international attention continue to be focused on the living conditions of Gazans due to the Israeli military occupation. Many states are starting to put more pressure on Israel, and are discussing recognizing Palestine. However, it is necessary to continue to advocate that Israel leave the occupied territories, and ending any continued human rights violations that have been committed. There should also be continued questions and further investigations with regards to war crimes committed by the Israeli military, and Hamas this past summer.
