The State of Gaza Strip Border Crossings

1 to 31 March 2008

The publication of this report coincides with the imposition of further collective punishment on civilians in the Gaza Strip civilians by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The occupation continued tightening the noose on the Gaza Strip violating civilians' human rights, and seriously affecting supplies of food, medicine, fuel, and cooking gas. In addition, construction materials and raw materials required for various sectors, including agriculture, transport, public and hotel services remained affected by the siege. Furthermore, the occupation continued to impose severe restrictions on exports from the Gaza Strip. These systematic restrictions have had a massive negative effect on living standards across the Gaza Strip, with local markets continuing to witness severe shortages of goods, leading to unprecedented price increases, whilst poverty and unemployment currently stand at 80% and 55% respectively.

This report focuses on the continuing fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip. Chronic fuel reductions have caused a continual deterioration in social and economic conditions in the Gaza strip, creating a humanitarian crisis, and affecting all aspects of life in Gaza. Shortages of fuel have caused near paralysis in many sectors including health services, environmental health, and access to safe drinking water. This has also forced fishermen to reduce and sometimes stop fishing at sea during the important spring fishing season, as well as impacting on local bakeries, the transport sector and delivery of local public services. 

The Gaza strip border crossings remained closed during the reporting period.   Restrictions continued to be imposed on civilian movements to and from the Gaza Strip via Rafah and Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossings, and the IOF severely restricted the number of civilians who were permitted to travel via Beit Hanoun Crossing.

During the reporting period, Al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, Gaza’s main commercial crossing, remained completely closed for 21 days, and was partially opened for 10 days to allow imports of some food items. Nahal Oz crossing remained completely closed for 10 days, and was partially opened for 21 days to allow the entry of limited quantities of fuel. Sofa crossing remained closed for 31 days for aggregate and construction materials, and was partially opened for few hours a day for 20 days to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) Crossing remained completely closed for 7 days, and was partially opened for 24 days for a few hours per day, to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. 

During the reporting period, PCHR documented the death of 3 patients from the Gaza Strip including a woman, due to them having been prevented from accessing hospitals in Israel, the West Bank, or Jerusalem or having access to appropriate medication. The number of patients who have died since June 15, 2007, as a direct result of the closure of the Gaza Strip, stands at 33 people including 10 women and 7 children. In addition to these deaths, hundreds of other Palestinian citizens remained stranded in the Gaza Strip awaiting permission to travel abroad for study, medical treatment, or work. 

Significant Border Developments 1 -31 March, 2008:

·        Civilian Border Crossings 

Throughout the reporting period, rigorous restrictions continued to be imposed on civilian movements Via Beit Hanoun Crossing and Rafah International Crossing Point. Since June 10, 2007, Beit Hanoun Crossing has been closed for 294 days, and Rafah has been closed for 291 days. As a result, citizens in the Gaza Strip continued to be deprived of their right to freedom of movement to the West Bank, Occupied East Jerusalem, to Israel, or abroad via Al-Karama Bridge on the Palestinian-Jordanian border. During the reporting period, the IOF permitted a small number of civilians, including members of diplomatic missions, international workers, and some patients, to pass through Beit Hanoun Crossing and travel to Israel and the West Bank.

Rafah International Crossing Point

·           The Crossing continued to be closed throughout the 31-day reporting period. Since June 10, 2007, it has been closed for 291 days.

·           On 2 March 2008, the Egyptian authorities allowed 38 Palestinians injured during Israeli incursion in the northern Gaza Strip to enter to Egypt via Rafah crossing for medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

·           On 3 March, the Egyptian authorities allowed a further 19 injured Palestinians to enter Egypt for medical treatment.

·           On 5 March, the Egyptian authorities allowed another group of 60 injured Palestinians, including patients with serious and chronic diseases, to travel to Egypt for medical treatment. 60 escorts accompanied them. On the same day, 180 Palestinians who had been stranded in Egypt were allowed to return to Gaza.

·           Thousands more Palestinian civilians have been prevented from traveling out of the Gaza Strip since June 2007, including 500 students enrolled in international universities and 350 patients with serious diseases requiring urgent treatment abroad.  

Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing

·           The IOF continued to close the crossing throughout the 31-day reporting period, bar permitting some members of diplomatic missions, some international employees in international organizations, and some patients with serious cases to access the crossing. PCHR notes the crossing was closed on 21 and 22 March 2008 for Jewish holidays. 

·           Since 17 January 2008, the IOF has prevented Palestinians working in international organizations and the very limited number of traders allowed to enter Israel from accessing Israel or the West Bank. 

Prison Visits:

The IOF has continues to prevent Gaza Strip residents from visiting their relatives in Israeli jails for tenth successive months. There are approximately 950 Gazans in jail in Israel, and dozens of them are held in solitary confinement cells. Since 1967 the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been facilitating visits for the families of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The Gaza component of the family visits program was suspended by the IOF in June 2007. PCHR notes that before the program was suspended, 150 prisoners had already been denied visitation rights, and only ‘Category 1’ visits were permitted, which restricted visits to parents and brothers below the age of 16 years. Therefore, Palestinian prisoners were already suffering restrictions on their visitation rights. 

Health Consequences of the Closure

During the reporting period, the IOF continued to hinder the passage of patients who required medical treatment. Hundreds of patients requiring urgent treatment in the West Bank or Israel were deprived of their right to receive treatment. The number of patients allowed to pass through Beit Hanoun crossing for treatment in Israel or the West Bank decreased from 20 people per day to 16 people per day. PCHR notes that patients applying for treatment in Israel or the West Bank are suffering from serious diseases and are in urgent need for treatment that is not available in Gaza Strip hospitals. Furthermore, these patients are not able to access Egyptian hospitals due to the continued closure of Rafah crossing. 

1.         On 21 and 22 March 2008, the IOF completely closed Beit Hanoun crossing. This closure was for a Jewish holiday. 

2.         Through its representative in the District Civil Liaison Office, the Ministry of Health submitted applications for 557 patients to pass via Beit Hanoun crossing for treatment in Israel or in the West Bank. The IOF rejected 67 applications (13.7% of total applications submitted) and allowed 490 patients to pass Beit Hanoun to access treatment.

3.         However, 411 applications submitted before the reporting period are still awaiting response. Therefore, 478 applications are pending.

4.         The IOF continues to completely prevent Palestinian ambulances from transporting patients to hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank. However, it allows some ambulances transporting critically ill patients to deliver patients to Israeli ambulances. During their passage via Beit Hanoun crossing, Palestinian patients are subjected to humiliating inspection procedures, which can seriously delay their access and can result in patients being forced to return to the Gaza Strip.

5.         During the reporting period, PCHR documented the death of 3 Gaza Strip patients due to the siege and/or shortages of medicine. Since June 2007 thirty three civilians have died as a result of being denied access to appropriate medical care or facilities, including 10 women and 7 children.

·           On 14 March 2008, Ahmed Mahmoud Al-Nuri, aged 54, from Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, died after being prevented from accessing medical treatment. Mr. Al-Nuri had been suffering from lung cancer since 2005. According to his brother, Ibrahim, he was treated at Nasser Institute Hospital in Egypt in March 2006. He continued to receive the treatment in the same hospital every 3 or 4 months. On 8 May 2007, he returned to Gaza with sufficient chemicals for four months further treatment. Rafah crossing was subsequently closed and he could not access further treatment despite having applied for a permit to leave the Gaza Strip. He died before he received a permit. 

·           Shafiq Mohammed Salah Abu Al-Kas, aged 48 years from Jabalia refugee camp- died on 20 March 2008. He had been suffering from heart disease since November 2007. He underwent medical tests in Kamal Adwan hospital, and was transferred to the European hospital in Khan Yunis where he underwent cardiac catheterization. Doctors assessed him and said he needed open-heart surgery. According to his cousin, Sa'ed Jaber Salim Abu-Alkas, the operation was scheduled several times in the Arab Specialist Hospital in Nablus, most recently on 20 March 2008. The IOF hampered his travel by not replying to requests submitted by the Gaza Ministry of Health. On 18 March, Physicians for Human Rights (in Israel) submitted a request for the IOF to issue a travel permit for Shafiq Mohammed Saleh Abu Al-Kas. The association received the approval on 25 March, but the patient died in the same day. 

·           Zeinab Mohammed Ali Bashir, aged 58 years, Deir Al-Balah- died due to her treatment being delayed for more than 5 months. Her son, Wael Omar Ali Bashir, stated that his mother, who was suffering from liver and lung cancer, had received chemotherapy in Al-Shifa hospital. When it was time for her to repeat the chemotherapy, there was no treatment available in the Gaza Strip. The patient's family tried to take her to Egyptian hospitals for treatment, but all attempts failed due to the continued closure of Rafah crossing. After a five month delay in medical treatment her health seriously deteriorated and she died on 22 March 2008.

Second: Commercial Crossings (imports and exports)

During the reporting period, the Israeli occupation continued to prevent the export of Gaza products. Furthermore, it continued to reduce imports into the Gaza Strip. The imports were limited to international aid and limited quantities of basic goods. 

Al-Mentar (Karni) crossing:

·           The crossing continued to be completely closed for 21 days, and was partially opened a few hours per day for 10 days. The IOF prevented exports of Gaza Strip products to the West Bank, Israel, or abroad, whilst permitting limited imports of wheat, flour, and fodder. 

·           Since 13 June 2007, the crossing has been completely closed for 236 days and partially opened for 52 days. The continued closure of the crossing for a long period of time, with irregular exceptions, has been one component of the humanitarian crisis affecting every aspect of life in the Gaza Strip. 

·           As a consequence of reduced imports, significant shortage of food, medicine, and medical supplies continued. In addition, the closure caused destructions in all economic sectors, and more than 70% of production sectors have entirely ceased production. The following table indicates the imported quantities of wheat, flour, and fodder allowed into Gaza during the reporting period:

Sofa Crossing:

·              The crossing was completely closed for 11 days and was partially opened for 20 days for imports. During the partial opening, the IOF allowed limited quantities of humanitarian aid for UNRWA and WFP and some basic supplies for local traders,

·              During the reporting period, the IOF continued to prevent the delivery of aggregate and construction materials to the Gaza Strip. This ban was imposed on 15 June, 2007.

·              During the reporting period, the crossing operated only to allow the delivery of basic supplies and humanitarian aid for UNRWA and WFP. The IOF permitted 110 truckloads into the Gaza Strip including foodstuffs such as rice and milk and medicines for UNRWA, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the  Ministry of Health and UNICEF. Meanwhile, the IOF allowed the import of limited quantities of sugar, fruits, frozen meat, dairy products, rice, and salt for local traders,

·              After a delay of more than three months, the IOF allowed the import of livestock into Gaza. On 28 March, 460 heads of cattle were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via Sofa Crossing. PCHR notes that this did not meet the overall requirement in the Gaza Strip. Since 18 December, 2007, there has been a shortage in fresh meat in local markets and butches shops.

·              Due to the crossing closure, the construction sector crisis continued. The chronic shortage of construction materials has continued and the price of available quantities has quadrupled, preventing the implementation of dozens of development projects. Work in many construction and housing projects has completely stopped causing the layoff of thousand of workers. 

Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing

·              During the reporting period, the crossing was completely closed for 7 days and partially opened for 24 days to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and limited quantities of basic supplies to local traders,

·              On 4 March, the crossing was opened. This was the first opening for 48 days, during the closure period, the IOF did not allow any supplies to pass via the crossing, including humanitarian aid.

·              During the reporting period, the IOF did not allow exports of Gaza Strip products intended for the European markets. According to the Gaza Agricultural Cooperative, farmers in Gaza produce between 30 and 40 tons of strawberry a day during the strawberry season that ends in March.  This production far exceeds the quantities allowed by the IOF for exports. The Cooperative estimated that farmers in Gaza lost approximately $15m as a result of being denied exports.

·              During the reporting period, the crossing operated only to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and limited quantities of basic supplies for local traders. The IOF allowed the entry of 188 truckloads to the Gaza Strip via the crossing. The majority of goods were humanitarian aid donated by Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, and Palestinians living inside Israel. The other trucks contained basic supplies such as medicines, sugar, rice, and flour for local traders.

Nahal Oz crossing

·              During the reporting period, the crossing was completely closed for 10 days during which time all fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip ceased, causing extreme fuel shortages. 

·              During the reporting period, benzene supplies to the Gaza Strip completely stopped for 23 days. The quantities supplied during the reporting period  amounted to 346,100 litres, less than 10% of the Gaza Strip daily requirements. 

·              PCHR notes that before its decision to reduce the Gaza strip fuel supplies last October, the IOF used to allow the daily delivery of 120,000 liters of benzene to the Gaza Strip.

·              The Gaza Strip supplies of diesel completely stopped for 18 days during the reporting period. Diesel supplies entered the Gaza Strip for 13 days of the period, with a daily rate of 106,195 litres of diesel entering Gaza - 30.3% of the Strip daily requirements. PCHR notes that the Gaza used to import some 350,000 liters of diesel every day before the shortages were imposed. 

·              During the reporting period, the IOF completely stopped the delivery of cooking Gaza to the Gaza Strip for 11 days. The daily rate of cooking gas entering the Gaza Strip was 211.8 tons; i.e., 60.51% of Gaza’s daily requirements. PCHR notes that Gaza needs 350 tons of cooking gas per day. (For details, please see the following table) 

Fuel quantities supplied to the Gaza Strip during the reporting period