GAZA CITY, 23 August 2009 (IRIN): A new UN report describes the devastating humanitarian impact of two years of Israel’s “unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip”.
Released in August by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem, the report details the rapid deterioration of livelihoods, food security, education, health, shelter, energy and water and sanitation inside Gaza.
– The blockade has ‘locked in’ 1.5 million people in what is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences, said the report.
Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, Israel closed all Gaza’s border crossings, and imposed import and export restrictions and a travel ban to and from Gaza.
Israel’s 23-day military offensive in Gaza, which ended on 18 January 2009, as well as internal conflicts between Fatah and Hamas, have compounded the suffering of the population, said the report.
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