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Gaza: half a year on, and the suffering continues
16-07-2009 Photo gallery
Israel launched a three-week military operation in Gaza in December 2008. Half a year on and the people of Gaza are still reeling from the effects of that attack. Homes remain destroyed, and access to public services, such as hospitals and water supply, limited. Most people in Gaza are feeling the impact of the strict Israeli closure which they have now endured for over two years. As the entire society becomes increasingly impoverished, some people are relying more on donkey carts and bicycles.
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Israel launched a three-week military operation in Gaza in December 2008. Half a year on and the people of Gaza are still reeling from the effects of that attack. Homes remain destroyed, and access to public services, such as hospitals and water supply, limited. Most people in Gaza are feeling the impact of the strict Israeli closure which they have now endured for over two years. As the entire society becomes increasingly impoverished, some people are relying more on donkey carts and bicycles.
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A great number of children in Gaza suffer from anaemia, mainly due to iron deficiency. Ahmed Abu Jabal, who is being treated in a hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, is one of them. His mother cannot breast feed him as her milk dried up during the war in December 2008 – January 2009 and his family has not had the money to buy proper baby milk formula to keep him well nourished and in good health.
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Forty-five-year old Meriam spends most of her day in the kitchen. She tries to give her children good, nutritious food, but can hardly afford it. With half a dollar to live on, per person per day, around 40% of Gaza's population is very poor. Another 30% is poor, and lives on one dollar per person per day.
Many families only manage by borrowing money or selling their personal belongings, such as jewellery, and assets that are essential to their livelihoods, such as tractors, donkeys or cars that they have used as taxis.
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In Gaza, daily life is a struggle against poverty, destitution and uncertainty about what the future will bring. Additionally, for over two years Gazans have had to contend with the strict Israeli closure. This means that many goods and materials are not allowed to cross into Gaza.
The destruction brought on by Israel's military operation in Gaza last winter has added to the population’s hardship. Ezbet Abd Rabo and Khalil Abu Khader and his wife are cleaning up the destroyed roof of what used to be their home. Mr. Khader is one of thousands of Gazans who cannot rebuild their houses because construction materials are not allowed into Gaza.
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Gazan fishermen can no longer fish far out at sea. The Israeli navy has limited their access to three nautical miles, which is not enough to catch many fish of a reasonable size.
Israeli vessels sometimes fire warning shots at Gazan fishermen when they venture out at sea. They also risk having their boats and nets confiscated by the navy.
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Sixty-five-year-old Salama Abu Medain is using his father's old farm tools to clear his field which was destroyed during the Israeli military operation in December 2008 – January 2009. Mr Abu Medain has to support a large family of 17 on his income from the farm.
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Children in Gaza often have the task of providing their families with clean water.
For a number of years, many families have suffered from a lack of clean water. The water networks, damaged during the military operation, have been repaired. Nevertheless, because of lack of spare parts for maintenance, the water and sanitation system is very fragile and could break down any time.
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A woman injured during the conflict is assisted by medical staff at Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City. She is among the 120-150 people who lost one or several limbs during the war and are now waiting to be fitted with artificial limbs.
The ICRC-supported Artificial Limb and Polio centre in Gaza City will help many of the amputees walk again. However, importing prosthetic materials and components is still a difficult and lengthy process.
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Rajeh is an unemployed Palestinian living in the South of Gaza. He collects fire wood for his wife to use for her day-to-day domestic work. Rajeh cannot afford to buy cooking gas even if it is available on the market.
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