Israel has subjected the Gaza Strip to a policy of closure since 1991. Its current, most extreme, form has been applied continuously since 14 June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip. Despite the devastating effects of ‘Operation Cast Lead’, Israel continues to apply the policy of closure. Today, the Gaza Strip has been cut off from the outside world for more than five continuous years. Palestinians are only granted permission to leave the territory in extremely limited circumstances, exports are almost nil, and imports have been reduced to a very limited number of items in dramatically insufficient quantities. The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip is enacted as a form of collective punishment by the Israeli authorities. The current closure regime violates numerous principles of international humanitarian law and international human rights law including, inter alia, Article 43 of the Hague Regulations, and Articles 33, 55 and 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the right to life, the right to an adequate standard of living, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to freedom of movement and the right to self-determination, which is indispensible for the development of a society in which people can live with human dignity.

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