Humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza

A farmer is using irrigation which has been severely affected by the electricity crisis. Photo credit the Agricultural Development Association (PARC).Families in Gaza are living on as little as three hours of electricity per day.
Gaza’s only power plant completely shut down in April due to lack
of fuel and has barely been functioning since. In June, the Israeli
Authorities halved the power supply to Gaza, at the Palestinian
Authority’s request to reduce payments. Once again, ordinary
Palestinians are suffering the consequences of an over 10 year-long
blockade and ongoing political tensions. This is having a devastating
impact on the daily lives of people, affecting healthcare, water
systems and the ability to live and work.

The Culture and Free
Thought Association, a Gaza based charity for children and young
people, has said that the electricity situation has worsened since
2006 when Israeli Forces launched missiles at the power plant. They
report that since then, “electricity has been used as a measure of
collective punishment in the Gaza Strip”. Israeli human rights
organisation B’Tselem, warns
that “the
situation in Gaza will deteriorate further, making the area virtually
unliveable”.

Only 3%
of the water in Gaza is suitable for consumption, with just 10% of
the population having access to safe drinking water. This is due
to high salinity and damaged sewage systems following repeated
military offensives, which are now unable to function with the lack
of electricity and are pumping raw sewage into the sea.  

William Bell, Christian Aid’s Acting Head of the Middle East
recently visited and reports: “95% of the tap water is nearly as
salty as sea water. It’s searingly hot here but you can forget
about air con and fans. Forget communications; internet and mobile
phones signals come and go without warning. Swimming is banned
because raw sewage is being pumped into the sea as the water pumps
cannot cope without electricity. Few are allowed to leave this bit of
land and I know of patients who have died waiting for permits to
access treatment”.

Gaza’s health care system is at crisis point, with hospitals
dealing with significant power outages that seriously endanger lives.
They are currently operating on half of the medical supplies usually
provided by the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian
Medical Relief Society reports that the Palestinian Authority has
recently reduced the salaries of its employees in the Gaza Strip and
Physicians for Human Rights
Israel warns that “health rights are being held hostage by
political infighting”.

The power shortage is having severe effects elsewhere. The Women’s
Affairs Centre are reporting "loss of livelihoods, income
and self-employment opportunities” caused by the inability to
conduct essential tasks such as communication, refrigeration and
washing. Water is only pumped to houses every three days and
individuals never know when the electricity will be available, with
many people having to wake up in the middle of the night to use the
power when it can be accessed.

The Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights advise that the electricity shortage “will reduce the
work of water wells and pumping stations to 60%
and desalination plants to 80% of their capacity”. Farming
communities are also significantly affected, with the power outage
threatening production and food security. The
Agricultural Development Association (PARC) says that many
farmers have been forced to stop working. Some have had to sell their
land to avoid high expenses, while others bear the high cost of
buying generators and fuel to keep production going, which has a
serious impact on the market as they have to increase their prices.

Last month saw the people of Gaza enter the 11th year of a land,
sea and air blockade imposed by Israel and partly by Egypt, which
restricts and largely prevents entry and exit for individuals – 
stifles
import and export for all, and purposefully cuts Gaza off from
the natural resources it is entitled to. Subjected to three
increasingly destructive military offensives over the last eight
years, over 50,000 people remain internally displaced after their
homes were destroyed. They are still prevented from rebuilding homes
due to the severe restrictions imposed by the blockade on the entry
of reconstruction materials into Gaza.

We must hold Israeli Authorities and all other duty-bearers –
including the international community – to account for longstanding
and increasing violations against Gaza’s civilian population.  That
is why Christian Aid is calling for the UK Government to take action
to lift the blockade. To add your voice sign the petition
by Medical
Aid for Palestinians.