Israel stated that the blockade would not be lifted until the hostages abducted by Hamas are returned,[4] which has been criticized as collective punishment and an apparent war crime.[5] While Hamas stated that it would release all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners by Israel.[6] Later, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade.[7] The first supplies entered on 21 October 2023.[8] The blockade exacerbated Gaza's humanitarian crisis.[9]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[10] On 9 February 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini said that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[11]
The blockade has contributed to imminent famine conditions in the Gaza Strip, which was exacberated by Israeli airstrikes targeting food infrastructure and restrictions on humanitarian aid.[12] In a number of incidents, Israeli protesters, including settlers, blocked aid trucks carrying humanitarian aid heading towards the Gaza Strip, and in some cases attacked them.[13][14]
Background
The Gaza Strip has been under a partial blockade by both Israel and Egypt since 2005.[citation needed] Several border crossings have existed from the Gaza Strip along the border of Israel and Egypt.[15] Israel regularly granted permission for a quota of Gaza Palestinians, numbering between 15,000 and 21,000, to work daily within its borders.[16][17][18]
On 7 October 2023, militants led by Hamas, a Palestinian political and military organization and other Palestinian groups, launched its biggest assault across the Gaza–Israel barrier into southern Israel, as well as firing rockets into Israel.[19] Israel subsequently declared war on the militants,[20] calling up 300,000 reservists to execute Israel's military operation.[21] Following the attack, considered the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust,[22][23][24] Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Blockade
The total blockade of the Gaza Strip was announced on 9 October 2023 by the Defence Minister of Israel, Yoav Gallant. "We are putting a complete siege on Gaza … No electricity, no food, no water, no gas – it’s all closed" he announced.[2][25] "We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly," he added.[26][27][28] The spokesman for the Minister of Energy of Israel, Israel Katz, said that Katz had ordered the water supply to the Gaza Strip to be cut, effective immediately.[29] Israeli tanks and drones have been tasked with guarding openings in the Gaza–Israel border fence and enforcing the blockade.[2]
As a result of the blockade, the only power plant in the Gaza Strip ran out of fuel on 11 October, at 2:00pm.[30][31] This caused the electricity in the Gaza Strip to go off.[31] Due to this, desalination plants providing water shut off, completely stopping running water.[32]
On 12 October 2023, Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Israel Katz, stated that the lifting of the Gaza Strip blockade would not occur until the hostages, who were abducted by Hamas, are safely returned to their homeland.[4]
After receiving pressure from U.S. President Joe Biden, Gallant changed his position of a complete blockade and a deal was made on 19 October for Israel and Egypt to allow aid into Gaza.[7]
In January 2024, Israeli authorities blocked 56% of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.[34]
On 31 January 2024, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Netanyahu to cease sending aid to Gaza.[35]
On 1 February, protests blocked aid trucks from leaving the Port of Ashdod.[36]
On 9 February 2024, UNRWA's director Philippe Lazzarini said that Israel had blocked food for 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza.[37]
Most aid vehicles come through this crossing from Egypt. This was the first crossing to reopen after the start of the war, on 21 October.[8] Between then and 31 October, 241 aid trucks passed through.[38] Egypt, fearing a great influx of Gazans into Sinai implemented strict policies in Rafah crossing.[39] On 27 October, Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Program, criticized the checks at the Egyptian side of the crossing as "overly stringent" and limiting the flow of aid, which had previously been closer to 500 trucks a day.[40] However Egypt is highly cautious of mass exodus of Palestinians from Gaza.
This was one of the crossings breached at the start of the war, and remained closed thereafter. On 30 October, the UN asked Israel to reopen it to allow additional aid trucks through.[41] On 3 November it was opened briefly, and Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip who had been staying in Israel on work permits were sent back to the Gaza Strip.[42]
On 21 December 2023, Israeli protesters attempted to block the Kerem Shalom crossing to prevent humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip.[43] On 6 February, Channel 12 reported that 132 aid trucks had been prevented from entering the Kerem Shalom border crossing.[44] On 7 February, Israelis set up tents at the Kerem Shalom to block aid from entering Gaza.[45]
Other crossings
As of 1 November, other crossings into Israel have remained closed.
On 2 February, Israeli protesters blocked the Nitzana Border Crossing between Egypt and Israel to prevent humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.[13]
Two Jordanian aid convoys headed towards the Gaza Strip carrying medical supplies and flour were attacked by Israeli settlers on 1 May.[14]
The blockade resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down desalination plants that provide drinking water.[46] According to WHO, 27 out of 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip were shut down by 23 November 2023.[47]
On 15 November, the UNRWA announced that due to the lack of fuel, 70% of Gaza would no longer have access to clean water.[48] On 17 November, Oxfam stated Gaza's water supply was at 17% of its pre-siege capacity.[49] According to Oxfam and the United Nations, Gaza's lack of clean water and sanitation would trigger a rise in cholera and other deadly infectious diseases.[50] On 7 December, the World Health Organization reported increases in acute respiratory infections, scabies, jaundice, and diarrhea.[51]
On 7 December 2023, the World Food Programme stated that 97% of households had inadequate food consumption and 83% in southern Gaza were surviving through "extreme consumption strategies."[52] On 15 December, the United Nations estimated nine out of ten residents were not eating food every day.[53] On 22 December, UNICEF warned of the increasingly growing threat of famine in the Gaza Strip.[54]
Direct attacks on telecommunications infrastructure by Israel, electricity blockades and fuel shortages have caused the near-total collapse of Gaza's largest cell network providers.[55][56][57] Lack of internet access has obstructed Gazan citizens from communicating with loved ones, learning of IDF operations, and identifying both the areas most exposed to bombing and possible escape routes.[55] The blackouts have also impeded emergency services, making it more difficult to locate and access the time-critical injured,[55] and have impeded humanitarian aid agencies and journalists as well.[55] By December 2023 200,000 Gazans (approximately 10% of the population) had received internet access through an eSIM provided by Connecting Humanity.[58]
Airstrikes have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, and there is a widespread scarcity of essential supplies due to the blockade of aid.[lower-alpha 3] This has caused starvation for more than half a million Gazans and is part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Strip. It is the “highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger” ever recorded on the IPC scale,[66] and is widely expected to be the most intense man-made famine since the Second World War.[67][68][69]
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has recently classified the current situation in Gaza as the highest level of food insecurity ever recorded. With 53% of the population, equivalent to 1.17 million individuals, facing emergency levels, the region is experiencing alarming rates of malnutrition and loss of lives; Due to the prevailing security conditions, providing a substantial humanitarian response has become exceedingly challenging. It is crucially important to establish a consistent and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to address the urgent needs of its population.[70]
According to Agam Institute surveys, nearly 60% of Israeli Jews opposed sending humanitarian aid to Gaza.[71] According to a survey by Israeli Channel 12 television, 72% of Israelis opposed sending humanitarian aid to Gaza without the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.[72]
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese expressed concern that "the measures taken, including the bombing of the Rafah crossing, hints to an intention to really starve and kill the people who are innocent inside the Gaza Strip," saying there was fear among Palestinians in Gaza of a "second Nakba."[74]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply distressed" by Israel's decision to impose a total blockade on the Gaza Strip.[5]
Jan Egeland, the Secretary General for the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated that "collective punishment is in violation of international law. If and when it would lead to wounded children dying in hospitals because of a lack of energy, electricity and supplies, it could amount to war crime."[5]
On 10 October 2023, European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that "cutting water, cutting electricity, cutting food to a mass of civilian people, is against international law."[75]
On 11 October 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' attack was a disproportionate response amounting to a "massacre."[76]
UNRWA's director, Philippe Lazzarini, described the Gaza Strip as a "graveyard of a population trapped between war, siege and deprivation", saying that "We will not be able to say we did not know. History will ask why the world did not have the courage to act decisively and stop this hell on Earth."[77]
Egyptian authorities tried to prevent a mass exodus of Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip towards the Sinai Peninsula, rejecting a United States proposal for safe corridors to Egypt for Palestinians fleeing the Gaza Strip. The Rafah Border Crossing on the Egypt–Gaza border was closed by Egypt after the start of the conflict.[78] Egypt urged Israel to allow safe passage for Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip instead of forcing them to flee towards Sinai.[79]
Fabrizio Carboni, the International Committee of the Red Cross's (ICRC) director for the Middle East, said that "Without electricity, hospitals [in Gaza] risk turning into morgues."[80]
According to Human Rights Watch, "Israel's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure has made it clear the recent Hamas attacks are 'why we decided to stop the flow of water, electricity and fuel'. These tactics are war crimes, as is using starvation as a weapon of war."[80] A spokesperson for Gisha, an Israeli human rights group, said there was no "justification for this kind of targeting of civilians".[81]
British politician and Leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, announced his support for Israel's "right" to totally cut power and water supplies to the Gaza Strip in an interview with LBC,[82] prompting the Labour Muslim Network to describe his comments as endorsing "collective punishment" and demand an apology from him.[83] The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged Israel to exercise restraint, arguing that a blockade of the Gaza Strip could lead to suffering of Palestinian civilians.[84]
Agnès Callamard, secretary of Amnesty International said that Israeli authorities should immediately stop the increased restrictions, including cutting off electricity, water, and food. She stated that the blackout would have a severe effect on access to clean water, communications and internet access, and public health.[86]
On 18 October, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, sponsored by Brazil and supported by 12 of the 15 Council members, calling for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver aid to Gazan civilians.[87] The US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield explained that the US was working on a diplomatic resolution to the humanitarian crisis, and the resolution failed to recognize Israel's right to self-defense.[88][89]
On 21 October, the Israeli army dropped leaflets in Gaza with the message: "Urgent warning! To the residents of Gaza: your presence to the North of Wadi Gaza is putting your lives at risk. Anyone who chooses not to evacuate from the North of the Gaza Strip to the South of the Gaza Strip may be identified as a partner in a terrorist organization."[90][91]
On 9 January, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron admitted he is "worried" that Israel has "taken action that might be in breach of international law", saying he wanted Israel to restore water supplies to Gaza.[95]
↑ According to CNN, the true number of people dead from starvation may already be higher, as "limited access to northern Gaza has hindered the ability of aid agencies to fully assess the situation there."[60]
↑ The Israeli NGO Btselem has stated the famine is a direct outcome of Israeli policy: "This reality is not a byproduct of war, but a direct result of Israel's declared policy. Residents now depend entirely on food supplies from outside Gaza, as they can no longer produce almost any food themselves. Most cultivated fields have been destroyed, and accessing open areas during the war is dangerous in any case. Bakeries, factories and food warehouses have been bombed or shut down due to lack of basic supplies, fuel and electricity."[65]
Related Research Articles
The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a polity and the smaller of the two Palestinian territories. On the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the east and north.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a UN agency that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. UNRWA's mandate encompasses Palestinians who fled or were expelled during the Nakba, the 1948 Palestine War, and subsequent conflicts, as well as their descendants, including legally adopted children. As of 2019, more than 5.6 million Palestinians are registered with UNRWA as refugees.
The Gaza–Israel barrier is a border barrier located on the Israeli side of the Gaza–Israel border. Before the 2023-24 Israel-Hamas war, the Erez Crossing, in the north of the Gaza Strip, used to be the only crossing point for people and goods coming from Israel into the Gaza Strip, with a second crossing point, the Kerem Shalom border crossing, used exclusively for goods coming from Egypt, as Israel didn't allow goods to go directly from Egypt into Gaza through the Egypt–Gaza border, except for the Salah Al Din Gate, opened in 2018.
The Rafah Border Crossing or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine's Gaza Strip. It is located on the Egypt–Palestine border. Under a 2007 agreement between Egypt and Israel, Egypt controls the crossing but imports through the Rafah crossing require Israeli approval.
The Erez Crossing, also known as the Beit Hanoun Crossing, is a border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. It is located at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, between the Israeli kibbutz of Erez and the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun.
On 23 January 2008, Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip set off an explosion near the Rafah border crossing, destroying part of the 2003 wall. The United Nations estimates that as many as half the 1.5 million population of the Gaza Strip crossed the border into Egypt seeking food and supplies. Due to fears that militants would acquire weapons in Egypt, Israeli police went on increased alert.
The Gaza–Israel conflict is a localized part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict beginning in 1948, when 200,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes, settling in the Gaza Strip as refugees. Since then, Israel has fought 15 wars against the Gaza Strip. The number of Gazans reportedly killed in the most recent 2023 war — 34,000 — is higher than the death toll of all other wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
A blockade has been imposed on the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip since Hamas's takeover in 2007, led by Israel and supported by Egypt. The blockade's current stated aim is to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza; previously stated motivations have included exerting economic pressure on Hamas. Human rights groups have called the blockade illegal and a form of collective punishment, as it restricts the flow of essential goods, contributes to economic hardship, and limits Gazans' freedom of movement. The blockade and its effects have led to the territory being called an "open-air prison".
The economy of the Gaza Strip was dependent on small industries and agriculture. After years of decline, the Gaza economy experienced some growth in the late 2000s, boosted by foreign aid. According to the International Monetary Fund, the economy grew 20 percent in 2011, and the per capita gross domestic product increased by 19 percent.
Egypt–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the State of Palestine. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause and he favored self-determination for the Palestinians. Although the Egyptian government has maintained a good relationship with Israel since the Camp David Accords, most Egyptians strongly resent Israel, and disapprove of the close relationship between the Israeli and Egyptian governments.
Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip in Palestine since its takeover of the region from rival party Fatah in June 2007. Hamas' government was led by Ismail Haniyeh from 2007 until February 2017, when Haniyeh was replaced as leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip by Yahya Sinwar. As of November 2023, Yahya Sinwar continues to be the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, Hamas lost control of most of the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is an ongoing and growing electricity crisis faced by nearly two million residents of the Gaza Strip, with regular power supply being provided only for a few hours a day on a rolling blackout schedule. Some Gazans and government institutions use private electric generators, solar panels and uninterruptible power supply units to produce power when regular power is not available.
The siege of Gaza City began on 2 November 2023, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded Gaza City, amid the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, which was a counterattack to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Gaza City is the most populated city in the Gaza Strip and the battle started on 30 October 2023, when Israel and Hamas clashed in Gaza City. According to Oxfam, there are about 500,000 Palestinians, along with 200 Israelis and other captives, currently trapped in a "siege within a siege" in northern Gaza.
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as a result of the Israel–Hamas war. The crisis includes both a famine and a healthcare collapse. At the start of the war, Israel tightened its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in significant shortages of fuel, food, medication, water, and essential medical supplies. This siege resulted in a 90% drop in electricity availability, impacting hospital power supplies, sewage plants, and shutting down the desalination plants that provide drinking water. Widespread disease outbreaks have spread across Gaza.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2720, adopted on 22 December 2023, called for increased aid for the 2023 Gaza humanitarian crisis, including the provisioning of fuel, food, and medical supplies. It also explicitly demanded the opening of all Gaza border crossings to humanitarian aid, including the Kerem Shalom border crossing, and proposed the immediate appointment of a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza. The resolution received approval from 13 members, while Russia and the United States abstained from voting.
As a result of Israeli airstrikes during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and the imposition of a tightened blockade on the ingress of basic essentials into the Gaza Strip by Israel during that war, including restrictions on humanitarian aid, the population of the Gaza strip is facing starvation and famine. Airstrikes have destroyed food infrastructure, such as bakeries, mills, and food stores, and there is a widespread scarcity of essential supplies due to the blockade of aid. This has caused starvation for more than half a million Gazans and is part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Strip. It is the "highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger" recorded on the IPC scale since its inception in 2004, and according to experts, may become the most intense man-made famine since the Second World War.
During the Israel–Hamas war, significant issues arose with humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Israel's initial blockade on Gaza prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for several weeks. As the war progressed, aid was allowed at limited quantities, with entities such as Oxfam, the European Union, United Kingdom, and United Nations stating that Israel deliberately blocked humanitarian aid. These limitations have contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis and famine. Israeli airstrikes and continued restrictions on aid entry led to widespread shortages of food and supplies. Humanitarian aid agencies warned of the dire humanitarian consequences of aid restrictions, particularly after major Western donors announced they would cease funding UNRWA, the major aid relief agency in Gaza.
The flour massacre occurred in the Gaza Strip on 29 February 2024 when at least 118 Palestinians were killed and 760 injured after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians seeking food from aid trucks on the coastal Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City. The incident was the deadliest mass casualty event to have taken place in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israel's operation during the Israel-Hamas war, and took place a day after the World Food Programme reported that more than 500,000 people were at risk of famine in Gaza.
Yazan al-Kafarneh was a Palestinian boy with cerebral palsy who died from malnourishment on 4 March 2024, aged 10. He died during the ongoing Gaza Strip famine caused by the tightening of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war. He became a face for the children in Gaza and the Gaza Strip famine, with his image used by politicians and international organizations.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
