GAZA, November 20, 2008 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called, Wednesday, upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, United Nations agencies and all international humanitarian organizations, to immediately intervene and exert pressure on Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to reopen border crossings of the Gaza Strip, whose closure has caused further deterioration to living conditions of approximately 1.5 million Palestinians, who have suffered from shortages in foods, medicines and other basic needs, including electricity and fuel supplies. 

According to PCHR field observation of humanitarian conditions, the 31 containers of foods and medicines allowed into the Gaza Strip through Karm Abu Salem crossing, southeast of Rafah, do not meet the minimum daily needs of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip; they constitute less than 10% of the amounts allowed into the Gaza Strip before tightening the siege imposed on by IOF since June 2007.

Since IOF further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip on November 5, 2008 they have allowed the entry of only 427,410 liters of energy fuel, hardly enough to operate the Gaza Power Plant for one day. As a consequence, the plant has been completely stopped and at least 30% of the population of the Gaza Strip have lacked electricity.

Humanitarian conditions have continued to deteriorate due to the acute shortages in food and medical supplies needed by approximately 1.5 million Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip.

Three out of five mills operating in the Gaza Strip have stopped operation, the remaining two are expected to stop by Thursday due to the lack of wheat. There is also a shortage in drinking water, especially in high building due to repeated cutting of electricity. 

In addition, several bakeries have stopped working due to the lack of fuel, cooking gas, electricity and flour.

In the meantime, health facilities have been facing a serious crisis due to the shortage in electrical and fuel supplies, which has in effect limited their ability to provide medical services to patients. Moreover, at least 45 kinds of medicines have been lacking in the Gaza Strip. According to sources from Al-Shifa hospital, several electricity generators need maintenance, which cannot be performed due to the lack of spare parts, whose entry has been banned by IOF.

IOF have continued to further tighten the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip in spite of the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions since 19 June 2008. They have continued to close Gaza border crossings for long periods, and have allowed limited commodities into the Gaza Strip, which has caused further deterioration to humanitarian conditions.

PCHR called upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to exert pressure on IOF to force them to reopen all border crossing of the Gaza Strip in order to allow the Palestinian citizens to live normal lives, to be able to communicate with other parts of the Palestinian Territory and with the outside world and to enjoy their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.