A Christmas story
December 25, 2018. Israel regularly frames holiday permits for Christians as “gestures of goodwill.” In practice, holiday permits are often used as yet another means of exerting pressure on Palestinians living under Israel’s control. Read More »

New strawberry season, old problems
December 9, 2018. It is strawberry season again in Gaza. According to the Gaza Ministry of Agriculture, land use for strawberry cultivation increased by more than 20% this year. While COGAT boasts of the strawberry market in Gaza in its posts online, it fails to respond to the legitimate needs of growers and suppliers. Read More »

Unemployment among young people in Gaza at 71.1% in the third quarter of 2018
December 4, 2018. Gaza’s unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2018 reached 54.9%, and youth unemployment rose 6.2 points to 71.1%. Of those working in the private sector, 83.6% earn less than minimum wage. Read More »

Universal Children’s Day: Gisha calls on Israel to end its closure on Gaza, and discontinue its systematic violations of children’s rights
November 20, 2018. Universal Children’s Day is marked today around the world. In Gaza, children under the age of 18 account for around half of the total population; about a million children were born and raised in the shadow cast by the closure, tightened by Israel in 2007. Read More »

Erez and Kerem Shalom Crossings resume “normal” operations
November 19, 2018. Erez Crossing resumed regular operations today after a week of restrictions on the Palestinian side, with security forces in Gaza only allowing patients and special cases to exit Gaza since November 12. Read More »

Following the escalation, a fisherman is shot to death and movement remains restricted
November 14, 2018. For the past three days, Hamas security forces in Gaza have blocked movement through Erez Crossing, other than for medical patients and exceptional cases. A demonstration on the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom disrupted the movement of goods through the crossing, which operated as normal throughout the week. Read More »

Israel must take action to remove restrictions on access to and from Gaza
November 14, 2018. According to media reports, the ceasefire agreement reached yesterday between Israel and the de facto Hamas authorities in the Strip is essentially a return to the agreement reached in late 2014. In the four-plus years since the ceasefire was reached, there has been a gaping chasm between Israel’s official rhetoric and its actions on the ground in Gaza. Read More »

After a day and a half of protests by Gaza truck drivers, movement of goods at Kerem Shalom resumes
November 7, 2018. Kerem Shalom Crossing was closed for a day and a half this week as a result of protests staged by Gaza truck drivers and trucking companies against new levies imposed by the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian Authority officials prevented trucks from entering the crossing given the refusal to pay the new fees. Read More »

Gaza residents receiving more electricity, but Gaza’s energy crisis is far from being solved
November 1, 2018. The supply of electricity available to Gaza residents has increased significantly as a result of the Qatari government’s donation of fuel. Residents of the Strip are receiving power in cycles of eight consecutive hours followed by eight-hour outages. Read More »

As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, another step to limit movement: Israeli Transportation Ministry to restrict truck traffic on Negev roads leading to Kerem Shalom Crossing
Thursday, October 25, 2018. On Tuesday (October 23), the Israeli Ministry of Transportation announced that its plan to restrict movement of trucks on the roads leading to Kerem Read More »

Rough seas: Four fishermen detained, their boats confiscated. Fishing zone back at six nautical miles
October 24, 2018. This morning, the media reported Israel’s decision to expand the fishing zone by one nautical mile and its plan to add two more by Friday. The chair of the Gaza Fisherman’s Union has received no such notice as of yet. Read More »

Israel is still blocking virtually all movement to and from Gaza via the crossings it controls
October 18, 2018. Though the exchange of fire between Israel and Gaza has died down, Israel is still blocking virtually all movement to and from Gaza via the crossings it controls, Erez and Kerem Shalom; harming the well-being of people who need to cross and causing immediate and irreversible damage to Gaza’s faltering economy. Read More »

Deteriorating living conditions feed frustration and desperation in Gaza
October 7, 2018. It’s been 29 weeks, or just over six months, since the protests along the fence separating Gaza and Israel began. More closure and more violence are the obstacles to security and prosperity for the region as a whole. Read More »

Gisha ahead of the AHLC meeting in NYC: Economic recovery in Gaza will only be possible when Israel lifts restrictions on movement of people and goods
September 26, 2018. The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) will hold its semi-annual meeting tomorrow. A World Bank report published ahead of the meeting expresses concern over the potentially imminent collapse of Gaza’s economy. A fundamental prerequisite for jump-starting Gaza’s economy is, first and foremost, the lifting of blanket restrictions Israel places on the movement of people and goods to and from Gaza Read More »