No Bread, Medicine or Fuel But George Says Let’s Chat

When Hamas agreed to a ceasefire with Israel in June, hopes were raised that the yearlong blockade of Gaza would ease. Not only was there no relief on the existing restrictions, but since November 5 Israel has prevented all shipments into Gaza except for a 30 truck convoy on Monday.

Israel is also refusing to let any reporters enter the area. Reporters without Borders has appealed to Defense Minister Ehud Barak to provide access and the Tel Aviv-based Foreign Press Association has

“condemned the ban, stressing that the closing of the Gaza Strip to the foreign press ‘not only prevents international public opinion from being informed about the humanitarian crisis unfolding there, but also draws attention to the coercive measures taken by Israel and engenders the suspicion that this is a deliberate attempt to cover up what is happening.’

Some news is filtering out from humanitarian workers and it’s not good:

Mohammed Musalam, 39 years old, sits outside his home in the dark. A father of nine, he has been unemployed since the Israeli blockade started nearly 18 months ago. He is totally dependent on charity and assistance from aid agencies.

“I wait day-by-day to get food supplies from the UN. These supplies mean life itself for me and my family. The latest Israeli closure is tightening our lives even more. I am sitting outside my dark home because I feel like I am suffocating from the way we are living.

“The blockade does not only target Hamas, but it also targets my children’s food, water, ability to study and now even the food aid we rely on from relief agencies,” Mohammed said.

“I have not been cooking with gas since the start of the blockade because of shortages, and I bought a small electric water heater. We have been using it for cooking. Now that we don’t have electricity, I have been burning wood to cook for my children. In other words, the Israeli blockade is taking us back to a primitive age.”

Since shipments of cash are also blocked, the 98,000 Gazans who receive welfare are without funds and even Gazans with an income are now facing a lack of food. Abdelnasser al-Ajrami head of the Bakers Association detailed the situation today:

"Out of a total of 47 bakeries, 27 are already closed, while another 20 are only working part-time because of power cuts and a shortage of fuel."

The blockade also prevents medical supplies from entering Gaza. A report from Oxfam on the Al Shifa hospital which is operating on generators (which are also threated by the blockage of all forms of fuel) details the conditions residents are facing:

Another vital department in the same hospital is the premature baby department, which cares for more than 28 babies a week. The department depends on electrical incubators for the newborns. In the hospital there are currently 27 babies in 26 incubators. The other three incubators the hospital has, as well as a ventilator, are out of order. This is due to a lack of spare parts, denied entry to Gaza because of the blockade.

The UN has issued appeals to Israel to lift the blockade as has King Abdullah of Jordan in a secret meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense minister Ehud Barak.

The Israeli reaction has been quite clear, as the LA Times reports. Government officials are “claiming that the shortages are being exaggerated to stir international sympathy for Gaza.”

The Israeli human rights group Gisha responded, noting that “Both sides must refrain from harming civilians, instead of deliberately targeting them,” and pointing out that Israel is violating it’s own promise to the Israeli Supreme Court to allow necessary supplies of fuel to Gaza. Gisha’s attorney Yadin Elam sent a letter to the Israeli Department of Defense demanding “the immediate reversal of all restrictions on the transfer of fuel, cooking gas and humanitarian products into the Gaza Strip" and insisting:

that the military live up to the dictates of international law, which prohibits act of collective punishment – and avoid deliberately depriving civilians of vitally needed basic supplies.

The closure of the crossings into the Gaza Strip is not undertaken to prevent a concrete threat against a specific crossing but is done with the illegal intention of inflicting pressure on the civilian population in an attempt to affect the behavior of militants and political elements. The closure of the crossings is therefore in violation of the absolute prohibition in International Law against collective punishment.”

Rather than protest the blockade, President Bush will meet with Olmert on Monday "to review Middle East peace efforts that the U.S. leader had once hoped would produce an agreement before he left office."

Don’t hold your breath.

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