Israel has subject the Gaza Strip to a closure policy
since 1991, however, its current, most extreme form, has been applied
continuously since 14 June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza
Strip. Despite the effects of Operation Cast Lead, the closure regime has been
continuously applied. Today, the Gaza Strip has been completely cut off from
the outside world for over fivecontinuous
years. Palestinians are not allowed to leave the territory, goods are not
allowed to be exported, and imports have been reduced to a very limited number
of items in dramatically insufficient quantities. The illegal closure of the
Gaza Strip is enacted as a form of collective punishment, termed ‘economic
warfare’ by the Israeli authorities. The current closure regime violates
numerous principles of international humanitarian law and international human
rights law, inter alia,Article
43 of the Hague Regulations, Articles 33, 55 and 56 of the Fourth Geneva
Convention, and the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard
of living, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to
freedom of movement and the right to live in human dignity.

To download the full Fact Sheet Click here.