No Exit for Civilians in Gaza in the Midst of War

The current conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is having a devastating impact on civilians. An immediate ceasefire is essential. But with bleak prospects for one in the near term, reducing civilian suffering must be the priority of all actors. Israel must allow full access for humanitarian supplies to the territory. Civilians need to have the minimum freedom of movement to access humanitarian distribution points and hospitals. Both the Israeli armed forces and Hamas must respect civilian infrastructure, avoiding unwarranted damage to essential services.

In similar situations around the world, civilians caught in the midst of conflict would have the option of seeking safety in neighboring countries as refugees. Gazans have no such option, as both Israel and Egypt restrict access for Palestinians to their territory. They are trapped.

Prior to the intensification of hostilities, civilians in Gaza were highly dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Over the past 18 months, basic services and economic opportunities deteriorated due in part to Israeli restrictions on goods flowing into the territory. Israel imposed these restrictions in response to Hamas rocket attacks, and with the aim of undermining political support for Hamas.

Since December 27th, the bombardment and the land invasion have made a bad situation worse, creating a humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, only a two to three day supply of wheat flour remains in Gaza, where daily needs amount to 200-300 tons. Damage to infrastructure and lack of fuel have reduced the reliable supply of electricity, hampering the operation of pumps and filtration systems, and thus preventing access to clean water for 250,000 people Hospitals are relying on erratic generators, jeopardizing care in intensive care and neo-natal units. Some 300 babies are born every day in Gaza, but pregnant women are being forced to deliver outside hospitals as all available beds are reserved for war injuries and other emergency cases.

An immediate ceasefire--the halt of Israeli military operations in Gaza and of Hamas rocket attacks into Israel--is essential as a first step towards creating the possibility for political dialogue that will lead to safety and security for civilians on both sides. Even without a ceasefire, however, Refugees International is calling for the following five measures to immediately enhance the protection of civilians in Gaza:

1. Israel and Hamas must do everything possible to avoid injuring or killing civilians;
2. Israel and Hamas must respect the civilian nature of basic infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, clinics, and other public buildings, avoiding destructive attacks and the use of these facilities for military operations;
3. Israel and Egypt must open all border crossing points into Gaza to enable the delivery of humanitarian supplies, with an emphasis on food and medicine, gas for cooking, and fuel for the central power plant;
4. Israel must grant freedom of movement to Gazan civilians to access humanitarian distribution points and hospitals safely;
5. Israel must speed the granting of permission for international medical personnel to access Gaza.

The situation in Gaza is perilous. Member states of the Security Council and governments in the region need to put maximum political pressure on the parties to the conflict to achieve a ceasefire and take measures to protect civilians.

Comments

[hindy]

Why is Egypt getting off scott free for its inhuman lock-down of its border with Gaza? These are fellow Arabs after all! Think how many civilian lives could have been saved had Egypt allowed at least seniors, women and children to escape into Sinai until the hostilities cease. They have so much empty space in the Sinai - yet they don't do anything to help their Palestinian brothers and sisters. Unfortunately that's been the tragic history of the Arabs. They don't do a thing for Palestinians other than blame Israel. Shame on you Egypt!!! You are being cruel and worst of all - you're getting off scott-free.

[aemathisphd]

THP, Israel can solve the "demographic time bomb" problem by leaving the occupied territories. Arabs make up a mere fifteen to twenty percent of the population within Israel's 1949 borders. Tzipi Livni said in an interview a few years back that Israelis generally had some combination of three goals: (1) A Jewish state; (2) A democratic state; and (3) A state encompassing all land west of the Jordan. She pointed out immediately that you can't have all three. But, added, any two combined nullifies the third. If you have a Jewish democracy, you can't have "Greater Israel." And you can have a Jewish Greater Israel, but it won't be democratic. The only combination that works, she said, is (1) and (2).

Kim, Israel isn't a fan of the 1949 Geneva Convention on War, despite being a signatory. They have violated that convention hundreds of times by settling on occupied territory.

[FSHGthrXDLY]

While I agree that those captive civilians should be provided passports and an exit strategy , I do not agree that Israel must allow them to cross their borders. This would only allow Hamas to send in homicide bombers. Not a good solution.

However, Egypt should open up it's borders and the rest of the Arab countries should be ready to take them in immediately.

This should have been an outrage long before now.

[kimleehan]

Sometimes war is necessary, and Israel has said their war is with Hamas and not the civillian population. The thing is the palestinian civillians do have a rights accourding to the fourth Geneva convention agreement referred to the protection of civillian persons in time of war.
Article 3 states that the wounded and sick SHALL be collected and cared for. My question is, are the Iraeli solders honoring the fourth Geneva convention's rule? Are the civillian injured being collected from the battlefaild and properly cared for? If not than Israel is in violation of the fourth geneva convention rules, Also is Israel taking care to the best of their abillitys not to kill or injure civillians? People need to google the fourth geneva convention rules and make sure there being honored by Israel,,,,Thanks

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

But you don't understand! The penning in of the Palestinians serves a strategic purpose. Israelis are threatened by the Palestinian POPULATION, which is growing faster than the Israeli population. Ergo, women (who might give birth) and children (who might grow up) are "legitimate targets."

See? It's just another mad depopulation scheme cooked up (years in advance) by white colonial imperialists against indigenous brown folk. Move along, nothing to see here.

[aemathisphd]

I would amend:

1. Hamas cannot use human shields. If there's any doubt that Hamas does this, a member admits to it here: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1710.htm

Also, asking Hamas to avoid killing civilians questions their raison d'être. Hamas needs to reassess its goals and tactics if it desires political relevance, or they'll end up like the PLO in Beirut in '82.

2. Here I'd add mosques explicitly. Contrary to Hamas rhetoric, these aren't the days of the Prophet Muhammad and mosques shouldn't be used to plan violence against "unbelievers."

3. A central problem is that aid is often packaged with weapons for Hamas, and border crossings are a principal way in which Hamas is armed.

I'm also troubled by the lack of attention paid to Egypt having closed its border. Mubarak comes from a line of leaders who have had their own problems (including the assassination of Sadat) with the Muslim Brotherhood that birthed Hamas. Stupid he isn't.

But Israel is still apparently the occupying power in Gaza, so it's Israel's responsibility to make sure no weapons get in.

4. Another issue here is that refugee camps have been a staging ground for militant activity in the Palestinian Territories. Thus the camps are danger zones for Palestinians not aligned with Hamas and who are caught in a trap, as well as Israelis being shelled.

That UNRWA allows camps to become battlefields makes them as complicit as Israel for attacking those camps.

5. Absolutely.

[amerhhh]

The idea of migration to escape persecution and to reestablish oneself is central to Prophet Muhammad’s life and to the experience of the early Muslim community. I wish Muslim leaders open their borders and let the Palestinians escape the terror they are living in. Review and comment on the short article Medina2009 at http://medina2009.blogspot.com

[SiberianRat]

I don't disagree with you, but I bet if they left, Israel would never let them back.