For the first time since 2008: Israel openly declares that it is closing crossings in response to rocket fire on southern Israel
February 26, 2013. Gisha urges the Defense Minister to refrain from using travel restrictions as a punitive measure against Gaza’s civilian population Read More »

Who should be criticizing the UN’s Human Rights Council?
February 24, 2013. Yoni Eshpar, director of Gisha’s public department, explains in an op-ed in Haaretz how the UN Human Rights Council’s engagement on Israel undermines its effectiveness Read More »

Unemployment in Gaza rises to 32.2%
February 24, 2013. According to figures published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate among women in Gaza stands at 48.3%, compared to 28.5% among men Read More »

Opposition fighting in the wrong direction
February 17, Moran Avital, Gisha’s Advocacy Coordinator, writes for Haokets website about a strange paradox: while the Israeli government slowly lifts travel restrictions on the Gaza Strip, there are those on the left who support Gaza’s separation from Israel and the West Bank. Read More »

Is there a protocol or not? Depends on who you ask
February 12, 2013. For 11 months we have been trying to find out what the “treatment of Israelis” protocol is. Eleven months of being sent from one authority to the next and the protocol is nowhere to be found. Read More »

Statement by human rights groups in Israel: Human Rights Council delay opportunity to reverse nonparticipation
January 29, 2013. It is legitimate for Israel to express criticism of the work of the council and its recommendations, but Israel should do so through engagement with the Universal Periodic Review. Read More »

Court dismisses Gisha’s petition to expose information missing from COGAT documents on criteria for travel of Palestinians from Gaza during the years 2007-2008
January 21, 2013. Court rules that COGAT need not search for documents that relate to travel of Palestinians from Gaza during the years 2007 and 2008, at the height of the closure. Read More »

Gisha Executive Director Sari Bashi: What’s Changed Since the Gaza Ceasefire
January 17, 2013: A few important changes to the closure policy on Gaza have been implemented since the ceasefire, but the ban on sale of goods and travel between Gaza and the West Bank remains. Read More »

Why can’t a child who is six years and eight months old visit his sick grandmother?
January 13, 2013. Children over six years of age can’t visit their sick grandmother and a Palestinian woman in the West Bank can’t get a permit to return to her home in Gaza. Two brief stories about movement between Gaza and the West Bank. Read More »

At Gisha’s request: COGAT publishes policies for travel via the Allenby Bridge Crossing in Arabic
January 10, 2013. Gisha contacted COGAT under the Freedom of Information Act, requesting the publication of the procedures regulating the entry and exit of Palestinian residents from the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge. Read More »

Israel and Egypt facilitate the transfer of construction materials to the Gaza Strip
December 31, 2012. Yesterday, Israel allowed 20 truckloads of gravel to enter Gaza for the private sector; this coming one day after Egypt allowed entrance of construction materials via Rafah Crossing. Read More »

For the first time since 2007: Israel allows gravel destined for the private sector to enter the Gaza Strip
December 26, 2012. Israel has until now allowed gravel into the Strip only for use by international organizations and this too, subject to a complicated approval process. Read More »

Gaza’s unemployment rate rises to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2012
December 18, 2012. This compared with 28.4% in the preceding quarter. The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Khan Yunis District – 37.5%. The unemployment rate in the West Bank is 20.4%. Read More »