The IOF have intensified their siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
On 15th January, Karni Crossing was closed by the IOF for “security reasons”.
The crossing constitutes the sole economic access for people in the Gaza Strip to import foods and fruits and export agricultural products and crops like flowers, strawberry, tomatoes, shelly, and cucumber.
The closure has augmented the suffering of Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip; Palestinian markets are running out of basic needs whereas prices of available goods are substantially increased.
Markets in the Gaza Strip run out of milk, cheese, sugar, and rice.
Palestinian farmers faced a great loss after their products were damaged and thus was not exported; this has negatively affected the farmers’ source of living and limited their ability to resume work due to loss and damage of crops.
Closing Karni crossing has also negatively affected aid from UNRWA (United Nation Relief Work Agency) which reported that more than 90 containers are stuck in the Israeli ports due to closure.
Furthermore, the agency provides food supply to refugees such as oil, sugar, flour, and other basic needs, and families dependent on UNRWA assistance are directly affected.
The closure of Karni has a negative impact on Palestinian trade since around 80 trucks transport goods from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and Israel on daily basis.
Furthermore, the Palestinian health sector suffers from a lack of medical equipment, most notably the solution used for kidney dialysis, and thus the lives of many patients are being threatened.
Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza receives kidney patients from the south and middle reas of the Gaza Strip.
Ministry of Health is working rapidly to obtain the required solution from the Charity Hospital in Jerusalem through Erez crossing.
Karni is the main crossing for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip; the IOF opened Karni crossing but recently there has been extremely low levels of economic activity permitted, while economic sections in Rafah and Erez crossings were entirely canceled.
The table below highlights the high numbers of closures of Karni crossing since the outbreak of the Intifada on Sept.
28 2000.
Working days in Karni since the outbreak of the Intifada Year Partial closing Total closing
2000 (Oct.
-Nov.
-Dec.
) 74 22
2001 289 77
2002 293 71
2003 75 94
2004 10 99
2005 10 98 Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights emphasize that the continuous IOF siege in addition to economic and social restrictions imposed on Palestinians will definitely contribute to higher rates of unemployment and poverty in the Gaza Strip and will hinder any future economic revival.
Further, such policy directly affects the health of Palestinian children.
In this respect, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights reject the IOF justifications claimed for security, and stress that security can no longer be the reason to threaten Palestinian lives.
Thus, Al Mezan and Physician for Human Rights call upon the international community to recognize the Gaza Strip as still an occupied territory and work on implementing the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War until the occupation ends.
Moreover, the international community must immediately intervene to halt IOF collective punishment against Palestinians and force Israel to abide by the Convention and lift the siege on Gaza, which constitutes a threat to all aspects of Palestinian life.
END