Contrary to their claims that they
have eased the lives of Palestinian people, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
have continued to impose an illegal closure of border crossings of the Gaza Strip,
both commercial ones and those used for the movement of Gazan civilians.  The closure of border crossings has not
changed throughout the reporting period, except for allowing limited quantities
of aluminum and wood into the Gaza Strip; such quantities, however, are not
sufficient as they constitute 10% and 5 %, respectively, of the daily need of
the population for these materials in the Gaza Strip.  Due to the ongoing siege and the restrictions
imposed on the economic and social sectors, poverty and unemployment rates have
risen to unprecedented levels, living conditions have deteriorated, some basic
goods are unavailable, and prices have increased, particularly construction
materials.  The complete ban of construction
materials, now in place for over 3 years, has aggravated the suffering of the
Palestinian people in Gaza, as their homes and other civilian property is in
dire need of reconstruction and repair following the latest military offensive
in the Gaza Strip.

 

 

The following is a summary of the most
significant developments relevant to Gaza’s border crossings during the 18-day
reporting period (1 – 18 April 2010):

 

First: Crossings Used for the
Movement of Persons

 

· Rafah International Crossing Point remained closed during
the reporting period.  The total period
during which Rafah International Crossing Point was closed is now 963 days,
since 12 June 2007,  when the IOF imposed
a closure after a military attack carried out by the Palestinian armed groups
against an Israeli military site at Karm Abu Salem crossing.  This attack resulted in the deaths of two
Israeli soldiers and one Palestinian, as well as the capture of a third Israeli
soldier. Since then, the Egyptian authorities have opened Rafah International
Crossing Point for humanitarian reasons and for limited periods in order to
allow the passage of urgent cases and humanitarian aid, including patients,
students enrolled in international universities, and holders of foreign visas,
residency permits or nationalities.

· During the reporting period, the Egyptian authorities
allowed about 50 patients and other persons to travel to Egypt during the
partial opening of the crossing to receive medical treatment in Egyptian
hospitals or abroad.  Also during this period,
950 patients and wounded persons, who were treated in the Egyptian hospitals,
were allowed to return to the Gaza Strip. 
They entered Gaza in groups during the partial opening, particularly on
Wednesdays and Thursdays.

· During the reporting period, Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing was
completely closed for Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank
and/or Israel. Only limited categories of persons were allowed to travel via
Beit Hanoun crossing under very complicated procedures. 

 

· The reporting period marked a sharp decline in the number of
Gazan patients who were allowed to travel via the Beit Hanoun crossing; only
350 patients (an average of less than 20 patients daily) were allowed to travel
via the crossing.  This marks a 60%
decline in comparison with 2006.  IOF
prevented Gazan patients from traveling to hospitals in the West Bank and/or
Israel on 6 days.

· The reporting period witnessed a sharp decline in the number
of businesspeople allowed to travel via the crossing in comparison to 6 months ago,
when an average of 10 businesspeople were allowed to pass through the crossing
a day.  Only 3 businesspeople were
allowed to enter Israel or the West Bank. 
About 180 businesspeople have been allowed to travel via the crossing
since the beginning of 2010.

· During the reporting period, the IOF imposed restrictions on
the movement of journalists, diplomats, and employees of international
humanitarian organizations. 
Approximately 45 journalists, 35 diplomats, and 280 employees of
international humanitarian organizations were allowed into the Gaza Strip.  Since 2010, about 220 journalists, 234
diplomats, and 1692 employees of international humanitarian organizations have
been allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, often under very complicated security
procedures which result in delays of several days for many of those allowed to
enter.

· Approximately 800 Gazans detained in jails inside Israel
have been continuously denied family visitation for more than 34 months because
of the ongoing ban on the movement of Palestinian civilians via Beit Hanoun crossing.

 

Second: Crossings Used for the
Movement of Goods

 

· Israel continued to impose restrictions on all of the Gaza
Strip’s border crossings used for the transport of goods, despite their claims
that they were easing such restrictions and allowing new types of goods
(aluminum and wood) into the Gaza Strip. 
During the reporting period, IOF permitted a limited quantity of
aluminum and wood for the first time in approximately three years; these
quantities, however, were not sufficient as they constitute less than 10% and 5
%, respectively, of the daily need of the Gaza Strip population for these
materials under normal conditions (approximately 25 truckloads of aluminum and
60 truckloads of wood).  It is worth
noting here that IOF had banned the entry of aluminum into the Gaza Strip for
approximately 3 years; the last time a limited quantity of wood was permitted
to enter Gaza was during the Tahdi’a (lull) between IOF and Palestinian armed
groups immediately prior to Israel’s military offensive in December 2008.

· IOF continued to take steps aiming at making Karm Abu Salem
as the primary and only border crossing in the Gaza Strip.  They have completely closed Nahal Oz
crossing, which prior to 4 January 2010 was used for the delivery of fuel
supplies to the Gaza Strip, and transferred the quantities of fuel, including
cooking gas, to Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is not equipped to receive even the
minimum amounts of cooking gas required by the population in Gaza.

· Sofa crossing has remained completely closed. The delivery
of humanitarian aid, which was previously allowed into the Gaza Strip via the
crossing, was transferred to Karm Abu Salem crossing more than one year ago.

 

· Al-Mentar (Karni) crossing was either completely or
partially closed, with very tight restrictions imposed on the materials
permitted into the Gaza Strip when open.  Al-Mentar crossing was previously the largest
and one of the primary commercial crossings in the Gaza Strip, as it is the
best-equipped crossing for the purpose of transporting goods. During the
reporting period, the crossing was completely closed on 13 days while it was
partially opened for limited hours on 5 days to allow the delivery of only
wheat and fodders via a conveyor belt. Since 13 June 2007, the crossing has
been completely closed on 760 days. The closure of al-Mentar crossing has
resulted in the deterioration of the humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip
and has negatively impacted the lives of civilians.

· During the reporting period, Karm Abu Salem crossing was completely
closed on 11 days, while it was partially opened for 7 days to allow the
delivery of limited quantities of humanitarian aid, basic goods, and fuel.

 

The following are the most
significant developments related to the Gaza Strip’s border crossing during the
reporting period:

 

· Rafah International Crossing Point:

 

Rafah International Crossing Point
remained closed during the reporting period. 
The total period during which Rafah International Crossing Point was
closed is now 963 days, since 12 June 2007, 
when the IOF imposed a closure after a military attack carried out by
the Palestinian armed groups against an Israeli military site at Karm Abu Salem
crossing.  This attack resulted in the
deaths of two Israeli soldiers and one Palestinian, as well as the capture of a
third Israeli soldier. The Egyptian authorities permit limited categories of
travelers to pass via the crossing for humanitarian reasons.

 

As reported by the Department of
Crossings and Borders to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
researcher, during the reporting period, about 50 persons and patients were
allowed to enter Egypt to receive medical treatment in the Egyptian hospitals
or abroad during the partial opening of the crossing.  The patients’ companions were allowed to travel
also to offer help, as these patients suffer from serious diseases.  Also during this period, approximately 950
patients and wounded persons treated in the Egyptian hospitals were allowed to
return to the Gaza Strip in groups on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

 

On 3 April 2010, the U.S.
Congressman, Keith Maurice Ellison, was allowed to enter the Gaza Strip; he
then left while the crossing point was closed. 
During the previous period, a limited number of members of international
delegations were allowed to enter and leave the Gaza Strip to offer help and
support to the Palestinian population.

 

On 8 April 2010, the body of a
Palestinian woman who died in an Egyptian hospital was allowed into the Gaza
Strip via Rafah International Crossing Point. 
It is worth noting that the majority of the Palestinian patients who
were allowed to enter Egypt for medical treatment in Egyptian

 

 

 

hospitals were suffering from chronic
diseases and serious medical conditions; many patients died in Egyptian
hospitals in spite of the medical care that was offered to them.  The Egyptian authorities made the necessary
arrangements to transfer the deceased to the Gaza Strip via Rafah International
Crossing Point. 

 

· Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing

 

The reporting period witnessed
severe restrictions imposed by IOF on the movement of all categories of persons
traveling via Beit Hanoun crossing, including patients suffering from serious
medical conditions, international journalists, employees of international
humanitarian organizations, and those wishing to travel via al-Karama
International Crossing Point (Allenby Bridge) on the border with Jordan.   IOF
completely closed Beit Hanoun crossing on six days.  IOF also significantly reduced the number of
Gazan patients who were allowed to pass through Beit Hanoun crossing during the
reporting period.  The most significant
developments relevant to movement through Beit Hanoun crossing were as follows:

 

· IOF completely closed the crossing for the movement of most
Palestinian civilians throughout the 18-day reporting period. The crossing was
completely closed on six days for the limited categories who are allowed to
travel via the crossing.

· IOF completely closed the crossing on 15 days for
businesspeople.  The crossing was opened on
3 days to allow 1 businessperson a day to travel via the crossing.  This figure represents a sharp decline in
comparison with the number of businesspeople who were allowed to travel via the
crossing 6 months ago, when an average of 10 businesspeople were allowed to
pass through the crossing a day.

 

· Patients’ Conditions: IOF closed the Beit Hanoun
crossing for Gazan patients transferred to the Israeli hospitals and/or
Palestinian ones in the West Bank on 7 days. 
During the partial opening of the crossing, only 350 patients were
allowed to pass through the crossing.  This
marks a decrease in the daily average number of patients allowed to travel via
the crossing to less than 20 patients per day, a 60% decrease in numbers
compared to 2006.

 

· Journalists, Diplomats and Employees of International
Humanitarian Organizations: During the reporting period, IOF imposed a ban on the entry
of journalists, media representatives, diplomats, and members of international
humanitarian organizations on 10 days. During the opening days, IOF allowed
approximately 45 journalists, 35 diplomats, and 280 members of international
humanitarian organizations to enter Gaza, often under very complicated security
procedures which result in delays of several days for many of those allowed to
enter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

· Prisoners’ Visitation: For more than 34 months, IOF have
prevented the families of Palestinians from Gaza detained in Israeli jails from
visiting their imprisoned relatives.  There
are approximately 800 Gazans detained in Israeli jails, and this denial of family
visits, imposed since 6 June 2007, is a violation of international humanitarian
law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.  It is worth noting here that 150 of the
prisoners from the Gaza Strip had already been deprived of all visitation
rights prior to June 2007.  IOF attempts
to justify this deprival of visitation rights with security claims.  The prison visitation program was facilitated
by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) until it was suspended
by Israel.

 

· Al-Mentar (Karni) Crossing

 

Developments relevant to al-Mentar
Crossing during the Reporting Period according to the information collected by
PCHR’s researcher from the Ministry of Economy:

 

· Al-Mentar crossing was completely closed for imports and
exports to and from the Gaza Strip on 13 days (72.2%).  The crossing was partially opened on only five
days (27.8%) to allow the entry of approximately 200 truckloads carrying 8,100
tons of grains and approximately 220 truckloads carrying 8,300 tons of fodders.

· Between 13 June 2007, following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza
Strip, and the end of reporting period, al-Mentar crossing had been completely
closed on 760 days.  The continued
closure of al-Mentar crossing has led to further deterioration of humanitarian
conditions of 1.5 million civilians in the Gaza Strip.

 

· Nahal Oz Crossing

 

During the reporting period, IOF
completely closed Nahal Oz crossing, which is used for the delivery of fuel
supplies, including benzene, diesel, industrial fuel and cooking gas.  On 4 January 2010, IOF officially informed the
Palestinian side about the total closure of this crossing.  According to PCHR’s investigation, before making
this decision, IOF had obstructed the delivery of fuel to Gaza via Nahal Oz
crossing and reduced the delivery of industrial fuel and cooking gas to minimal
levels.  As a result, the Gaza Strip
suffered from a severe shortage of cooking gas, and many cooking gas
distribution stations were forced to shut down.  The operation of the Gaza Power Plant was
significantly affected due to the severe shortage of industrial fuel and
various areas of the Gaza Strip suffered electrical power outages.

 

· Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing

 

During the reporting period, Karm
Abu Salem crossing was partially opened on 11 days (61.1%), while it was
completely closed on 7 days (38.9%).  Karm
Abu Salem crossing has been closed on 473 days since 18 August 2008, when the
crossing was re-opened and designated by Israel as Gaza’s main commercial
crossing.  The following are the most
significant developments related to the Karm Abu Salem crossing during the
reporting period, according to the information collected by PCHR’s researcher
from the Ministry of Economy,:

 

 

· During the days the crossing was partially opened, IOF
allowed the entry of 1,300 truckloads of humanitarian relief, including food,
blankets and medications delivered by international humanitarian aid
organizations, including WFP, ICRC, UNRWA, UNICEF, and the Humanitarian Aid
Office of the EU.  Food items for local
businesses were also allowed into Gaza via the crossing during the time of its
partial opening.

 

 

· IOF allowed the import of limited quantities of aluminum and
wood into the Gaza Strip for the first time. 
They permitted the entry of 3 truckloads of aluminum, which does not
meet even 10% of the daily need of the Gaza Strip population under normal
conditions (25 truckloads of aluminum daily). IOF also allowed the entry of 3
truckloads of wood, which meet only 5% of the daily need of the Gaza Strip
population under normal conditions (60 truckloads of wood daily).  It is worth noting here that IOF had banned
the entry of aluminum into the Gaza Strip for approximately 3 years; the last
time a limited quantity of wood was permitted to enter Gaza was during the
Tahdi’a (lull) between IOF and Palestinian armed groups immediately prior to
Israel’s military offensive in December 2008.

· IOF allowed the export of 7 truckloads carrying
approximately 1 million flowers.  During
this season, approximately 26 million flowers were given permission for exportation.
 This number represents less than 50% of
flowers produced for export (approximately 60 million flowers annually
according to the Agricultural Cooperative Association in the north of Gaza).  IOF also permitted the export of 40 tons of
strawberries during the current season (less than 3% of strawberries produced
for export).  According to the
Agricultural Cooperative Association of Strawberry, Vegetable and Flower
Farmers, the Gaza Strip produces 1,500 tons of strawberries for export per
year.

· During the complete closure of the crossing, Israel
prohibited the delivery of even humanitarian aid and basic foodstuffs.  During its partial opening, the crossing was
operated at reduced capacity, and the daily average of truckloads allowed into
the Gaza Strip was approximately 72 truckloads.

 

· Fuel: Following the complete closure of Nahal Oz crossing, which
was previously used for the delivery of fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, IOF
opened Karm Abu Salem crossing for the delivery of limited quantities of fuel
that did not meet even the minimum needs of the Gaza Strip’s civilian
population.  As a result, a fuel crisis
emerged again in the Gaza Strip and impacted numerous aspects of life for the
population there.  The operation of the Gaza
Power Plant was stopped on several days due to the lack of fuel and the plant
is still operating at decreased capacity due to the shortage of industrial
fuel.[1]  In addition, due to shortage of cooking gas,
several distribution stations were forced to shut down, and other stations were
congested with empty gas cylinders.  It
is worth noting here that the quantities of cooking gas that were allowed into
Gaza during the reporting period were less than 35% of the actual daily
civilian needs for cooking gas.  PCHR

 

 

 

notes that large quantities of
benzene and diesel continued to be entered into the Gaza Strip via tunnels
between Gaza and Egypt, while cooking gas could not be entered via tunnels due
to technical issues.

 

· The delivery of fuel to the Gaza Strip during the reporting
period was as follows:

 

· During the reporting period, benzene supplies into the Gaza
Strip stopped completely. It should be noted that before making the decision to
reduce the quantities of fuel supplies in October 2007, Israel permitted the
delivery of 120,000
liters of benzene to the Gaza Strip daily. 

· IOF completely stopped supplying the Gaza Strip with diesel
during the reporting period.  Before the
decision to reduce fuel supplies to Gaza, Israel permitted the delivery of 350,000 liters of
diesel to Gaza daily.

· During the reporting period, the civilian population of the
Gaza Strip suffered severely from a shortage of cooking gas, resulting from the
total ban imposed by IOF on the delivery of cooking gas supplies to the Gaza
Strip on 7 days.  IOF allowed very
limited quantities of cooking gas (31.7% of the actual amount required by the
population of the Gaza Strip) over the course of 11 days. It should be noted
that the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip need 350 tons of cooking gas daily, in
comparison to the 111 tons a day permitted to enter by IOF during the reporting
period.

· IOF imposed a total ban on the delivery of industrial fuel,
which is used to operate the Gaza Power Plant, on seven days.  IOF opened Karm Abu Salem crossing for the
delivery of 2,700,000
liters of industrial fuel to Gaza, a quantity that
sufficed to operate the Plant at 43% of its capacity during the reporting
period.  It should be noted that the Gaza
Strip depends on three sources of power: the Gaza Power Plant, which provides
67-70 MW (34%); Israel, which provides 120 MW (58,5%); and Egypt, which
provides 17.5 MW.

 

· Sofa Crossing

 

IOF completely closed Sofa crossing
throughout the 18-day reporting period. 
No basic goods, including humanitarian aid for UNRWA and the World Food
Programme (WFP), were permitted to be imported during the reporting
period.  In addition, Israel banned the
delivery of goods that had been allowed into Gaza during the Tahdi’a (lull)
between IOF and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, which commenced on
19 June 2008 and was held in effect until the Israeli military offensive on
Gaza in 27 December 2008 and the subsequent tightening of the closure.  The goods included limited numbers of cattle,
soft drinks, cement, metal pipes, gas cylinders, wood, welding iron bars and
textiles, all of which had been banned for more than a year.

 

 

 

 

Recommendations:

 

PCHR calls upon the international
community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva
Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, to:

 

1. Exert effective pressure on Israel to compel it to open all
of Gaza’s crossings, both those used for commercial purposes and those used for
civilian movement, to allow the civilian population of the Gaza Strip to
reconstruct the civilian property that was destroyed during Israel’s latest
offensive on Gaza, and to enable the Civilian population of Gaza to enjoy their
fundamental civil and political rights, as well as their economic, social and
cultural rights.

2. Promptly and urgently intervene to open Rafah International
Crossing Point for those who wish to leave Gaza—including hundreds of patients
who require medical treatment abroad, students enrolled at universities abroad,
holders of residency permits in foreign countries, and other humanitarian
cases—and for those who are stranded in Egypt to return to Gaza if they wish.

3. Promptly and urgently intervene to ensure respect for the
provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights
law, in order to put an end to the deterioration of living conditions across
the Gaza Strip.

4. Compel Israel to stop measures of collective punishment
against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip, including tightening the
closure of Gaza’s border crossings.

5. Remind the State of Israel, the Occupying Power, of its
obligations towards the civilians of the Gaza Strip, under Article 55 of the
1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which stipulates: “To the fullest extent of
the means available to it, the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring the
food and medical supplies of the population; it should, in particular, bring in
the necessary foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of
the occupied territory are inadequate.  The
Occupying Power may not requisition foodstuffs, articles or medical supplies
available in the occupied territory, and then only if the requirements of the
civilian population have been taken into account”.  The High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention must fulfill their obligation under Article 1 of the
Convention, to ensure the implementation of the convention’s provisions by the
State of Israel, in order to ensure the protection of the Palestinian civilians
of the Gaza Strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For more
information, please contact the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights at pchr@pchrgaza.org or +972-(0)8-282-4776.