New PHR-Israel Report Finds: The “Humanitarian Minimum” Policy is Camouflage for Continuing Harm to the Inhabitants of the Gaza Strip,
A report published today by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, “Humanitarian Minimum: Israel’s Role in Creating Food and Water Insecurity in Gaza,” examines the effects of the Israeli blockade policy that began in June 2007 on public health in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Cabinet Decision to ease restrictions on selected goods in the wake of the flotilla and subsequent international pressure are not expected to change this situation significantly, as they do not facilitate economic recovery and are based on the assumption that foreign humanitarian aid will continue.
The report, which is based on testimonies and interviews with scores of inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and key stakeholders, data from international aid organizations and expert opinions of Israeli and international experts, focuses on the area of nutrition and the state of the water and sewage infrastructures. The report concludes that the “humanitarian minimum” policy Israel has pursued since September of 2007 is significantly harming the health of Gaza residents.
Nutrition –Figures from the report demonstrates a high percentage of Gaza residents suffering from food insecurity, and the number is on the rise is constantly on the rise. Currently 61% of the population in the Gaza Strip, or 973,600 people, suffer from a lack of food security, defined by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as “the absence of access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” Among this population, 94% of the households report a decline in the quality of food purchased over the past year, while 59% report a decline in the amount of food consumed. Dependence on humanitarian aid from the international organizations is also constantly on the rise; Currently, 71 percent of Gaza households rely in some capacity on international humanitarian aid.
The report attributes high rates of food insecurity to an increase in unemployment and poverty rates, which have gone up by more than 40% in the past three years, as a result of the precarious situation facing Gaza's economy, which is paralyzed by Israeli controls.
As case studies, the report examines two main branches of the Gaza economy: agriculture and fishing, and examines the connection between the severe restrictions Israel has imposed in the framework of the blockade policy and damage caused during Operation cast Lead – damage that to a large extent has not been repaired to this day- to the loss of livelihoods.
An expert opinion of Prof. John Yudkin of University College, London, and Dr. Colleen Doak of the Vrije University in Amsterdam, appears in the report: “Gaza residents are suffering from deteriorating nutrition and food security as a consequence of the damage to agriculture and fishing, and the restrictions on trade and free movement. These threats to health are compounded by the severe infrastructural damage to the water purification and sewerage systems, which have led to the majority of Gaza’s water supply being classified by WHO as unfit for human consumption.”
Agriculture – The report finds that 17 percent of the agricultural lands and 200,000 dunams of grazing land (more than 49,420 acres) were entirely destroyed in Operation Cast lead. Since the operation the Israeli army has expanded the area forbidden to movement by Palestinians from 500 meters to 2 kilometers from the fence. The result is that 50% of the households located in these areas have lost their source of income. The continuing paralysis of the agricultural export channels and has also struck a mortal blow to the export industry and has increased rates of unemployment and poverty. Thus, for example, in 2009 flower-growers in the Gaza Strip were able to export only 1.1 million blooms as compared to an average of 48.2 million exported annually between 2000 and 2005. The result is that about 45,00 farmers and their families have joined the circle of those suffering from food insecurity.
Fishing – According to PHR-Israel,'s report restrictions on access Israel imposed on Gaza fishermen have almost entirely paralyzed the industry, which up until June 2007 had been considered one of the most flourishing industries in the Gaza economy. While the Oslo agreements stipulated that the fishing rights for Gaza extended to 20 kilometers from the shore, since June 2007, Israel has restricted the area for fishing along the Gaza shore to only 3 kilometers. Thus, for example, the extent of the sardine haul from the Gaza shore dropped at the end of 2009 by 72 percent: In April of 2009, 79 tons of fish were caught as compared to 237 tons in April of 2007. The paralysis of the fishing industry has led to 7,000 fishermen losing their sources of income and they too have entered the circle of food insecurity security.
The State of the Water and Sewage Infrastructures – A chapter of PHR-Israel's report is dedicated to the water crisis in Gaza and its effects on the health of the inhabitants there. Among the medical problems caused by the water quality in the Gaza Strip are methemoglobinemia (known as blue baby syndrome) and diarrhea. The dire situation of the water infrastructures under the Israeli blockade, and especially after the damage caused by Operation Cast Lead, has exacerbated these problems.
Between 90% and 95% of the aquifers in the Gaza Strip are not safe for drinking, in part because of the severe restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of spare parts to repair the water and sewage infrastructures, this after 11 water springs, 20 kilometers of water pipes, 7.5 kilometers of sewage pipes and 5,700 mobile water tanks were destroyed in Operation Cast Lead, according to the report. As a result of this, 39% of the households in the Gaza Strip enjoy running water only two to three days a week and 20% of all households have reported that at least one child under the age of five currently suffers from illnesses caused by the poor water quality and the poor condition of the sewage infrastructures.
Dr. Annette Huber, visiting scholar at Tufts University, USA, writes in her expert opinion: “The direct impacts of unsafe water range from immediate life-threatening blue baby syndrome and diarrhea to longer term impacts on health due to high levels of salinity. The indirect impacts of unsafe and inadequate quantities of water are equally serious, resulting from contaminated fruits and vegetables and shortages of food more generally.”
Since September of 2007 Israel has been pursuing a policy of maintaining a “humanitarian minimum” in the Gaza Strip while being in complete control of the dietary intake of Gaza residents. Economic development and the welfare of the civilian population are not part of the humanitarian minimum Israel has set for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
The report’s conclusion is that the Israeli policy, as well as the changes taking place in it, are based entirely on political considerations on the part of the state of Israel and do not reflect Israel’s full commitment to see to the health of the population in the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Sara Roy of Harvard University, comments: “The greatest and most damaging aspect of Israeli policy has been the transformation of Palestinians in Gaza especially, from a people entitled to, and capable of, national self-determination and developmental change into a group of aid-dependent paupers worthy only of the humanitarian minimum.”
PHR- Israel calls upon the state of Israel to lift the blockade imposed on Gaza sea space, air and land Strip, immediately. We advocate for a full and comprehensive lifting of the blockade which includes the free passage of people and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip via the crossing points, the opening of the air and sea space and the cancellation of the “humanitarian minimum” policy. This policy condemns the inhabitants of Gaza to a life of suffering and damages their dignity and health. Only a full and total end to the blockade policy will lead to improvements in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and advance human rights, including the right to health for Gaza residents.
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