The reporting period
witnessed a large-scale Israeli offensive, so-called ‘Operation Pillar of
Defence’, which lasted for 8 successive days from 14 – 21 November 2012. For
six of the eight days, Israeli authorities completely closed the sole
commercial crossing, Karm Abu Salem. During the 2 days that the crossing was
opened, Israel allowed the entry of a very limited amount of cooking gas, wheat
and fodder, but this did not meet the basic needs of the people of the Gaza
Strip. Beit Hanoun crossing, the sole crossing designed for the movement of persons
between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem and Israel,
operated at its lowest capacity during the offensive. Only a very limited
number of patients, journalists, and international workers were allowed to
travel; other categories of persons were banned from travelling through the
crossing.
The full report is available online at:
