Turning the policy of pressuring and isolating Hamas into collective punishment of the entire Gazan population has brought forth humanitarian consequences that cannot be remedied for years.

Reasons behind collective punishment of the Gazan population, one third of which are refugees:

1. Forcing Gazan people to distance themselves from Hamas

2. Decreasing bargaining chips of the Palestinian side

3. Breaking resistance against Israel through pressure, blockade and isolation policies

Humanitarian crisis caused by multifaceted policy of intimidation to achieve certain goals has been endorsed by the international community as an acceptable method.  

Cost of living index

         The blockade imposed on Gaza has reduced the life standards of locals to the level of countries at hunger line and brought down GDP per capita to $385. Although the West Bank and Gaza combined ranks as 106th among 177 countries in terms of human development index, Gaza alone is at the same level with impoverished countries. The 55 percent of Gazan households do not have regular income. Interviews conducted with Gazan families revealed that only three percent of the Gazan population increased their income over the last three months, while around 60 percent of them had drops in their income and got poor.         

Unemployment

Regular impoverishment policy has led thousands of people from many sectors to lose their jobs and made 180,000 civil servants jobless since they couldn’t get their salaries. When 200,000 unemployed people from other sectors added, almost the entire labor force in Gaza, around 400,000 workers, is currently unemployed. The unemployment rate in the region has gone beyond 80 percent. The number of people made jobless over the last year by sector is as follows:  

Sector                                               People made unemployed

Fishery                                      5,100                             

Agriculture                                 30,000                  

Farming                                     18,000                  

Livestock breeding                      1,100                             

Street vendors                           20,000                  

Bag makers                                3,000                             

Construction workers                   70,000                  

Retailers                                    50,000         

Municipal workers                        2,600

Public workers                            10,000

Total:                                                 209,800        

Energy

Although energy should be entirely a technical and economic issue, it has turned into a weapon and human rights violation. The Gaza Strip normally consumes 187 megawatt in a day. The 64 percent of electricity is provided by Israel, nine percent by Egypt and 24 percent by the power plant in Gaza. The fuel needed for the plant is imported from Israel. The energy infrastructure of Gaza has been gradually destructed by Israel since Hamas seized the control of the region and cut the power it gives to Gaza. A section of the plant was destroyed in an Israeli strike. The Gaza power plant has functioned with half capacity since then and only a small section of the plant remained functioning after October 2007. Finally, the plant shut down entirely in January 2008 and the region was darkened. Life halted in Gaza when medical machines, drinking water and sewage pumps and bakery shops stopped working. Although fuel supplies resumed after international pressure Gaza currently uses one fifth of the electricity it needs and daily life in Gaza has become dependent on decisions of the Israeli cabinet more than ever.                  

Health

Power cuts had devastating effects on health services in the following weeks and resulted in the death of over 80 people. Hundreds of patients dependent on medical machines faced the risk of death and all surgeries stopped in small clinics when power was cut. Currently only big hospitals remain functioning. Although hospitals stocked up on fuel and medication enough for several months when the Egyptian border fence was smashed Gaza faces serious risk in the medium and long-term.        

There is shortage of at least 250 kinds of basic medication in Gaza due to arbitrary restrictions on the entry of medication to the region in the past. The 100 of these essential kinds of medicine have almost run out, while the remaining 130 kinds are likely to run out within several months. Many surgeries are delayed or cancelled unless they are urgent due to shortage of medical equipment and medication. Those patients who have to go to Jordan for treatment via Israel are made to wait for long and are charged with high sums at border crossings.      

Conclusion

Gazan people are used as instruments of war by cutting their access to foodstuff in clear violation of the international law. Turning the practice of impoverishment into a political weapon has speeded up human losses and economic collapse.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is likely to cause huge losses unless necessary steps are taken in the short, medium and long term. In this regard,