The Reality on the Ground: Occupation, Apartheid, and Siege

The Blockade of Gaza: Humanitarian Impact

Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Israel, with cooperation from Egypt, has enforced a land, air, and sea blockade. Israel states the blockade is a necessary security measure to prevent Hamas, a group it and several other countries designate as a terrorist organization, from importing weapons and materials to build military infrastructure.

Documented Humanitarian Consequences:
Multiple UN agencies and human rights groups describe a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which they attribute largely to the blockade.

• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Reports on the crippling of Gaza’s economy, with extreme rates of unemployment, especially among youth. They detail the chronic shortages of electricity, clean water, and medical supplies, and the severe restrictions on the movement of people for work, education, or healthcare.
  • Source: OCHA – The Gaza Strip: The Humanitarian Impact of 15 Years of Blockade
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): Has repeatedly reported on the “de-development” of Gaza’s economy, arguing the blockade has effectively made economic progress impossible and rendered the territory aid-dependent.
  • Source: UNCTAD Report on its assistance to the Palestinian people
• Amnesty International & Human Rights Watch: Both organizations have described the blockade as a form of “collective punishment,” which is illegal under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
  • Source (Amnesty): Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: The conflict in Gaza: A briefing on applicable law, investigations, and accountability
  • Source (HRW): Israel: Gaza Blockade Devastating Economy

Military Operations and Alleged Violations of International Law:

This section details allegations from human rights organizations regarding specific Israeli military practices. Israel consistently rejects these allegations, stating it follows international law and targets militant infrastructure, often blaming Hamas for operating within civilian areas.

Disproportionate Force and Civilian Casualties:

• Human Rights Watch (2014): Following Operation Protective Edge, HRW investigated several Israeli airstrikes that caused civilian casualties and found that they “targeted apparent military objectives” but that “the attacks may have been unlawfully disproportionate or otherwise failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants.”
  • Source: Israel: In-Depth Look at Gaza School Attacks
• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) – Independent Commission of Inquiry (2015): The commission found that “Israel’s military operations in Gaza were directed by a policy that prioritized the safety of its own soldiers over the principle of distinction and the protection of civilians.” It noted the extensive destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure “with no evident military objective.”
  • Source: [Report of the detailed findings of the independent commission of inquiry established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoI Gaza/A_HRC_CRP_4.doc)

Targeting of Civilian Infrastructure (Hospitals & Schools):

• Amnesty International (2014): Documented cases of Israeli attacks on hospitals and health professionals in Gaza during Protective Edge, which it stated “displayed a shocking disregard for civilian lives” and may have constituted war crimes.
  • Source: ‘Nowhere is Safe for Civilians’: Israeli attacks on hospitals in the Gaza Strip
• The World Health Organization (WHO) (2023-2024): Has reported extensively on the targeting of healthcare infrastructure in the current conflict, noting hundreds of attacks on health facilities, ambulances, and personnel. They state this has led to the collapse of the healthcare system.
  • Source: WHO – Attacks on health care in Gaza

Use of Explosive Weapons in Dense Urban Areas:

• Multiple Organizations: The widespread use of heavy artillery and airstrikes in one of the world’s most densely populated areas is a primary reason cited by the UN and NGOs for the high civilian casualty rate and destruction.
  • Source (OCHA): Gaza Strip: Population Density
  • Context: International humanitarian law requires parties to a conflict to take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm. The use of such weapons in these environments is the subject of intense legal and humanitarian debate.

The West Bank – Creeping Annexation

• Illegal Settlements: Over 700,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements in the West Bank, violating Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. They are connected by Israeli-only roads, fragmenting Palestinian land.
• Resource: B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
• Military Law & Violence: Palestinians live under military law, facing night raids, arbitrary detention (including children), and home demolitions. Settler violence, often backed by the Israeli army, is rampant.
• Resource: Yesh Din – Data on settler violence

Gaza – The world’s largest open-air prison

• The Siege: Since 2007, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, controlling all movement of people and goods, devastating the economy, and crippling infrastructure for water, health, and electricity.
• Resource: Gaza in Context – A collaborative teach-in
• Military Assaults: Detail the disproportionate force and targeting of civilian infrastructure (hospitals, schools, universities) in operations like “Protective Edge” (2014) and the current assault.
• Resource: UN OCHA – Occupied Palestinian Territory for weekly casualty and displacement reports.