Who is gaza strip

We have reported on the blockade, the poverty, the wars. We have shared stories of life without water, without electricity, without hope. We have explained what international law…. View all related Publications. Water projects are among the largest consumers of electricity. Without enough power to maintain existing water and sanitation systems, it is impossible to build new ones.

Many homes in Gaza rely on electric pumps to push water to the top of the building. No electricity for them means no water. At home, they are forced to study by gas lamp or candlelight. This hinders their ability to concentrate and learn. Generators can power lights, but are loud and often lack enough fuel to power them. At school, blackouts mean food rots, latrines are left dirty, and there is no clean water for washing hands.

One of the most vulnerable groups affected by the siege is those with chronic illnesses. In , Israel approved fewer than 50 percent of requests to exit the Gaza Strip through the Beit Hanoun crossing for medical treatment abroad. Already in the UN warned that conditions were deteriorating at such a rapid pace that Gaza could be uninhabitable by the year Founded in , Hamas emerged during the First Intifada that saw a popular mobilisation of Palestinians against the Israeli occupation.

Since laying siege on Gaza in , Israel has launched four major, sustained assaults on the area between and In , after Hamas pushed out Fatah, the first major Israeli assault on Gaza continued for 23 days. The death toll included 35 children and 14 women. According to the UN, almost , refugees in Gaza are living in eight crowded camps.

On average there are more than 5, people per square kilometre - very similar to the density of population in London - but that figure rises to more than 9, in Gaza City.

Israel declared a buffer zone along the border in to protect itself from rocket attacks and infiltrations by militants. The zone reduced the amount of land available for people to live or farm on. The UN estimated about , houses were damaged or destroyed in the violence and it has since supported almost 90, families with help to rebuild their homes.

Nothing colse to normal, Life here is in hold for the ninth day in a row as the fighting between Hamas and Israel continue pic. Ocha says several hundred homes have been severely damaged in the latest fighting, but it will take some time to reveal the full extent of the damage.

Gaza's public health system is in a precarious state due to various reasons. Ocha says Israel and Egypt's blockade, lower health expenditure from the West Bank-based PA and internal political conflict between the PA - which has responsibility for healthcare in the Palestinian territories - and Hamas are all to blame.

The UN helps out by running 22 healthcare facilities. But a number of hospitals and clinics were damaged or destroyed in previous conflicts with Israel. Over the last few months, the health situation has been exacerbated by coronavirus.

In April, a spike in cases saw almost 3, a day in Gaza. There have been more than , cases since the start of the pandemic and more than people have died with the virus. The World Health Organization WHO warns that the border restrictions are not only limiting access to life-saving treatment for victims of the hostilities, but they are also hampering the coronavirus response.

The WHO says it is affecting the "critical" vaccination programme and increases the risk of spreading the virus as people seek refuge with relatives or in emergency shelters. More than a million people in Gaza are classed as "moderately-to-severely food insecure", according to the UN, despite many receiving some form of food aid. Border crossings have been opened to allow aid convoys through, but shelling has caused some disruption to deliveries.

Israeli restrictions on access to agricultural land and fishing have reduced the amount of food Gazans can produce themselves. They are not allowed to farm in the Israeli-declared buffer zone - 1. Israel imposes a fishing limit meaning Gazans can only fish within a certain distance of the shore. The UN says if the limit were lifted, fishing could provide employment and a cheap source of protein for the people of Gaza.

After the latest upsurge in violence, Israel temporarily banned any fishing from the Gaza Strip. Over the years it has set varying limits on the fishing zone, disrupting the livelihoods of about 5, fishermen and related workers.

The worst so far was the war, which lasted for 50 days and killed some 2, Palestinians, more than half of them civilians.

Seventy-three people were killed on the Israeli side. Israel says it makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of using Gazans as human shields. Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel. The vast majority are intercepted by Israeli missile defenses or land in open areas, but they sow widespread fear and can bring life to a standstill. Their range has steadily increased in recent years, with some striking as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, major metropolitan areas.

Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court launched an investigation into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories.