TEL AVIV, November 17, 2006 (WAFA) -Nine Israeli human rights organizations issued an unprecedented joint call to the international community to ensure human rights in the Gaza Strip, B'Tselem: Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories said.

Some 80% of the population is extremely poor, living on less than $2 a day. A majority of the population is dependant on food aid from international donors, according to the Center.

In the past four months, the Israeli military has killed over 300 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over half of those killed were unarmed civilians who did not participate in the fighting. Among the dead, 61 were children.

About 70% of Gaza 's potential workforce is out of work or without pay.

On 28 June, Israel bombed Gaza ' s only independent power station, which produced 43% of the electricity needed by the residents in Gaza . Since then, most of the population has electricity between 6 and 8 hours each day, with disastrous consequences on water supply, sewage treatment, food storage, hospital functioning and public health.

The Gaza Strip is almost entirely sealed off from the outside world, with virtually no way for Palestinians to get in or out. Exports have been reduced to a trickle, imports are limited to essential humanitarian supplies.

Israel cannot shirk its responsibility for this growing crisis. Even after its Disengagement in 2005, Israel continues to hold decisive control over central elements of Palestinian life in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli human rights organisations stressed that Israel continues to maintain complete control over the air space and territorial waters, continues to control the joint Gaza Strip-West Bank population registry, preventing relocation between the West Bank and Gaza , and family unification.

They also affirmed that Israel controls all movement in and out of Gaza, with exclusive control over all crossing points between Gaza and Israel, and the ability to shut down the Rafah crossing to Egypt.

"The broad scope of Israeli control in the Gaza Strip creates a strong case for the claim that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip continues, along with an obligation to ensure the welfare of the civilian population," the Israeli human rights organizations said. "Regardless of the legal definition of the Gaza Strip, Israel bears legal obligations regarding those spheres that it continues to control."

The Israeli human rights organizations called on the international community to ensure that Israel respects the basic human rights of residents of the Gaza Strip, and that all parties respect international humanitarian law.

A.D (23:06 P) (21:06 GMT)