Consequences of the Crisis

Turning the policy of pressurizing and isolating Hamas into the collective punishment of the entire Gazan population has brought forth humanitarian consequences that cannot be remedied for years.

The reasons behind the collective punishment of the Gazan population, one third of whom are refugees, are multiple:

1. Forcing the Gazan people to distance themselves from Hamas 

2. Decreasing the bargaining power of the Palestinian side 

3. Wearing down and breaking resistance against Israel through pressure, blockade and isolation policies 

The humanitarian crisis caused by this multifaceted policy of intimidation has been endorsed by the international community as an acceptable method of achieving certain goals.

Cost of living index:

The blockade imposed on Gaza has reduced the living standards of locals to the level of countries below the poverty line and brought down GDP per capita to $385. Although the West Bank and Gaza combined rank as 106th among 177 countries in terms of the human development index, Gaza individually is at the level of more impoverished countries. 55 percent of Gazan households do not have a regular income. Interviews conducted with Gazan families reveal that only three percent of the Gazan population have increased their income over the last three months, while around 60 percent of them have experienced drops in their income compared to the previous year and have become poorer.       

Unemployment: 

The sustained policy of impoverishment has led thousands of people from many sectors to lose their jobs, and has resulted in 80 percent of the 180,000 civil servants becoming jobless due to a lack of money to pay salaries. When the 200,000 unemployed from other sectors are added to this figure, almost the entire labor force in Gaza, around 400,000 workers, is currently unemployed. The unemployment rate in the region has gone beyond 80 percent. The number of people made jobless over the last year by sector is as follows:     

Energy:

Although energy should exclusively be a civil and economic issue, it has been turned into a weapon and a daily human rights violation. The Gaza Strip normally consumes 187 megawatts a day. 64 percent of electricity is provided by Israel, 9 percent by Egypt and 24 percent by the power plant in Gaza. The fuel needed for the plant is imported from Israel. The energy infrastructure of Gaza has been gradually destroyed by Israel since Hamas took the control of the region, and Israel has cut down the power it provides Gaza. A section of the Gaza power plant was destroyed during an Israeli strike. The plant functioned with half capacity following that incident, and only a small section of it remained functional after October 2007. Finally, the plant shut down entirely in January 2008 and the region was left in darkness. Life came to a halt in Gaza as medical machines, the water supply, sewage pumps and bakeries stopped operating. Although fuel supplies resumed following international pressure, Gaza currently has access to one fifth of the electricity it needs, and daily life has become dependent on the decisions of the Israeli Cabinet more than ever.

Health:

While power cuts made life very difficult during the first couple of weeks for the average Gazan, they had even more serious consequences for health services. Dozens of people died as a result of the power cuts, as was seen during treatment of Palestinians wounded during the 2009 attacks. Hundreds of patients dependent on medical machines faced the risk of death, and all surgeries had to be stopped in small clinics when the power was cut. Currently only large hospitals continue to function.        

There is a shortage of at least 250 kinds of basic medication in Gaza due to arbitrary restrictions on the entry of medication into the region. 100 of these essential types of medicines have almost run out, while the remaining 150 are likely to run out within several months. Many surgeries are delayed or cancelled unless they are urgent due to the shortage of medical equipment and medication. The lives of many patients are also put at risk by restrictions imposed on their travel. Those patients who have to go to Jordan for treatment via Israel are made to wait for long periods and are charged high fees at border crossings.

The embargo imposed on the entry of medication over the last two years is an echo of the international sanctions imposed on Iraq 15 years ago. Those sanctions resulted directly or indirectly in the death over one million Iraqis, and many otherwise curable diseases killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children. Although the immediate threats have been put at bay for now, the embargo on Gaza is most likely to bring about similar consequences in the long-term.   

Conclusion: 

Gaza’s people are used as instruments of war, as they are subjugated to hunger and deprivation in clear violation of the international law. Turning the practice of impoverishment into a political weapon has accelerated human suffering and economic collapse. According to figures provided by IHH, The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, and the Palestinian authorities, international help in the provision of foodstuffs and medication is still needed to help the Gazan people live an honorable life. This means that direct or indirect occupation of the region should be ended completely, and it proves the importance of non-governmental organizations worldwide supporting the Gazan people and lobbying their governments into pressurizing Israel.