Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said today, Sunday, that the Israeli occupation forces continue to impose their strict siege on the Gaza Strip for the fourteenth year in a row, and have doubled their restrictions after the cessation of the aggression last May.

These forces insist on tightening the siege more severely than it was before the aggression, which leads to a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation with the continued closure of the crossings, especially the continued prevention of entry of basic materials needed to restore the work of industrial and commercial facilities and the failure to initiate the reconstruction of the destroyed facilities. and infrastructure. As stated in a statement by the center.

Al-Mizan warned the international community of its continued inability to fulfill its obligations, especially its pledges to reconstruct the Gaza Strip and lift the siege imposed on it to ensure the stability of the political and security conditions and not to return to the square of violent conflict, especially since the humanitarian situation may constitute a real driver for the renewal of the conflict.

The occupation forces had completely closed the Gaza Strip crossings with the start of their aggression on the Gaza Strip on 10/5/2021, and prevented the entry and exit of goods and individuals to and from the Gaza Strip, especially patients, which caused the death of two patients because they were denied access to the hospital. According to the statement.

After a unilateral ceasefire on May 21, 2021, and after destroying hundreds of factories, workshops and thousands of housing units, these forces continued the policy of collective punishment of the residents of the Strip, and kept the crossings closed, especially the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, and later gradually allowed entry Some basic materials such as foodstuffs and fuel, and the fishing area has been reduced to (12) nautical miles, after it was (15) miles before the aggression. As mentioned in the statement of the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights.

The statement said that the occupation authorities continue to prevent the entry of most types of raw materials and goods necessary for the work of factories and industrial workshops, such as chemicals, wood, furniture products and cars, with the exception of some materials that are used in the manufacture of detergents and plastics, which contributes to an increase in the number of the unemployed and the poor, in light of Crazy rise in the prices of some commodities due to their shortage from the market.

The Center indicated that on 13/8/2021, the Coordination of Israeli Government Activities, a security body subject to the Israeli government, announced on its Facebook page that it had approved the entry of (1,000) merchants, and (350) permits. to businessmen, and to allow the export of goods and products from the sector as it was before the aggression, and to expand imports to the sector, including the fields of transportation and communications, and announced that goods and equipment will be entered for the benefit of humanitarian projects in the sector.

For his part, Engineer Raed Fattouh, head of the Presidential Committee for the Entry of Goods, confirmed that the committee has not received any list of goods and goods that are allowed to enter and export to and from the Gaza Strip until this moment, and that there was no change in the crossing’s work until the time of the statement was issued.

With the continuation of the siege, the suffering of the victims of the military attacks during the recent aggression on the Gaza Strip, who lost their homes, continues. (8,500) citizens whose homes were completely destroyed, in addition to about 250,000 citizens whose homes were partially damaged, who suffer from their inability to repair their homes in light of Continuing to ban entry of building materials, and not to start rebuilding what was destroyed by the occupation forces. According to the center´s statement.

It is not only the dispersion and instability of families and the resulting great challenges related to work and integration in the temporary residential environment, but its effects affect children and their best interests, especially with the start of the school year, and the risks that may affect this group in terms of the distance of temporary housing places from their schools and the cost of accessing it. According to the statement.

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade and the escalating Israeli violations. As Libra Center said.

In this context, official statistics indicate that the unemployment rate is (48%) among the labor force in the Gaza Strip, and data on the ground indicate that temporary employment projects for several months are the reason behind the fact that the unemployment rate has not increased, which exceeds half of the working-age population. The percentage of poverty (53%), and the percentage of food insecurity (68.2%) for the total population of the Gaza Strip, and the percentage of families receiving aid (70%) of the total families in the Gaza Strip. As stated in the statement.

The suffering of the population and local government bodies continues due to the serious effects of the Israeli military attacks on roads, paved streets, water supply and sewage networks, landline telephone networks and internet lines, and the inability of the municipalities and the telecommunications company to effectively rehabilitate them in light of the chronic lack of capabilities and resources and the continued ban on entry of materials needed for repair . According to the statement.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights warned of the humanitarian repercussions of the continued closure and severe restrictions, calling on the international community to act urgently and effectively to stop the ongoing Israeli violations, especially the policy of collective punishment that it practices by closing the crossings and reducing the fishing area, and ending the siege of the Gaza Strip, as it constitutes collective punishment. The population and the main cause of the economic and social problems that the sector suffers from, and taking steps to ensure respect for international law, and working to ensure accountability and accountability of all those suspected of violating the rules of international law.