TIGHTENING RESTRICTIONS
On 9 July 2018, the Government of Israel (GoI) announced it was tightening restrictions on access to Gaza via Kerem Shalom, the main commercial crossing, explicitly noting that the measures were in response to Hamas sending incendiary kites and balloons into Israel.
All goods were banned from exiting and vital materials banned from entering, including construction materials, water pumps, spare parts, generators, clothing, blankets, mattresses, and more.
On 17 July 2018 Israel also banned the entry of fuel and cooking gas, including emergency fuel supplied by the UN. This was a highly dangerous decision in power-starved Gaza where fuel is widely used to compensate for the severe and chronic lack of electricity, powering generators in homes, businesses, and critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and water and sewage facilities. The crossing was only partially reopened on 24 July 2018, with some fuel and gas entering Gaza.
The closure means that no items are permitted to enter via the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), which was established in the wake of the 2014 war to facilitate the entry of construction materials and a range of items classified and treated as ‘dual use’ by Israel. Even before the recent crackdown, imports and exports were severely inadequate for a population of nearly two million people; a fraction of what they were before the blockade was fully imposed in June 2007. In addition to these restrictions, Israel has also further reduced the permitted fishing zone from six nautical miles off the coast of Gaza to three, preventing fishermen from accessing 85% of the fishing waters as agreed under the Oslo Accords. The last time the fishing zone was reduced to three nautical miles was 6 July 2014, two days before Operation Protective Edge officially started.
Immediate impacts are being felt on the ground.
In the WASH sector alone, projects currently being blocked by the GoI’s latest restrictions include:
• A major desalination plant in Gaza city which would provide water to 200,000 people;
• Two water tanks and a water booster system that would provide water to over 190,000 people;
• Facilities that would treat wastewater for hundreds of thousands of households and reduce the contamination load discharged to the sea.
WASH projects amounting to tens of millions of USD, funded by international donors, are currently being blocked by Israeli-imposed restrictions. High priority WASH items being prevented from entering include: mobile pumps to dewater flooded areas, water testing and disinfection material, essential electromechanical equipment, sulfite resistant cement and epoxy paints for insulation.
The additional restrictions imposed this month are therefore jeopardizing access to clean water and sanitation for hundreds of thousands of people who have already waited too long for adequate services. Water-related diseases are the primary cause of child deaths and account for a quarter of illnesses in Gaza.7 Every day of delay puts families at risk of death and illness, paying high prices for unsafe water and without access to safe toilets.