Ref: 70/2012

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
(PCHR) received the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
in Gaza, Patrick Gueissaz, in PCHR’s head office in Gaza City.

PCHR’s Director,RajiSourani, met with
Gueissaz, and the meeting addressed a number of current developments relating
to the human rights situation in Gaza.  The
meeting addressed the visitation program for the families of Gazan prisoners in
Israeli jails, which has recently resumed after its suspension by Israel’s
authorities for the past 5 years. An evaluation was during in the meeting of
the first visits that were organized in the framework of this program on 16
July 2012.

In addition, the meeting addressed Israel’s
closure of the Gaza Strip and the impacts resulting from the closure, including
restrictions on the freedom of movement of persons and goods from and to the
Gaza Strip. The meeting concluded that the ongoing closure is institutionalized
and receives the approval of the international community, although it is a form
of collective punishment, which is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva
Convention.

Sourani and Gueissaz also discussed
recent developments in the Sinai of the Arab Republic of Egypt and their impact
on the Gaza Strip and the population of the Gaza Strip, especially considering
the recent closure of the Rafah crossing, the only exit
for the Gaza Strip to the external world, by the Egyptian authorities.