Health Sector:
Crisis and Catastrophes:
-A severe shortage of basic medicines is up to 40%. Medicines of diabetes, heart, asthma and other chronic diseases are vanished from Gaza. Additionally, other kind of medicines for Cancer, Lennar and liver failure face sharp shortages.
-Sterilization and Disinfection and medical equipments and clothes face decrease up to 30%.
-There is severe shortage in Solutions and pigments and laboratories tools. These shortages amounted of 40% directly affect patients.
-Some Medical Machines are in bad need for spare parts and maintenance. Due to siege none of the needed is being achieved. Medical machines of Gas measurements of children incubators are being affected as well.
-The power cuts and continued blackouts damaged part of machines and its programming systems.
-Damage hit C.T and X.Ray Departments at al Shifa' and European hospitals. These are so crucial to diagnosis tumors of cancer and other diseases. Spare parts for medical T.V are not available!
-Gases used for surgeries are not enough and what's aviable is only for 7 days. In the normal time there has to be a strategic storage for at least 3 months of these gases.
-Generators of hospitals are working for long hours due to Power cuts and this affected performance, already a generator of Al shifa' hospital stopped.
-Natural cocking gas is not aviable leaving kitchens of all gazan hospitals closed. This affects food quality for sick people. Additioanly, laundries of clothes and medical cloths are closed vowing of more disease.
-Vacances of children are about to vanish vowing of problems for children in regard of immunity against diseases.
-Around 260 peopls already died due to closure and not being able to travel. More than 35% of victims are of children.
-Hospitals run the badly needed surgeries and some other normal ones due to the above problems.
-Around 60% of ambulances are being stopped and some medical vans as well.
Agricultural, Animal and Bird Sector:
This sector is one of most negatively affected by recent closure of collective punishment. Animals are and birds are being sorted as terrorists as the same as Gazans in Israeli view.
-Gaza needs 150 tons of fodder a day, since 3 weeks none of it entered.
-More than 700000 of chickens executed due to lack of fodder.
-looses amounted of 20% due to lack of vaccinations, serums and lack of fodder.
-Fishing sector lacks natural gas needed for fishing and also the process of incubation is being halted.
-Agricultural tools like insecticides, seeds and fertilizer not available. This negatively affects the sector and already did with start of siege.
-Agricultural products are being held in Gaza as Israel prevents any kind of exportation since a year and a half.
Closing Commercial Crossings:
Israel closed crossings and decreased quantities of all sorts of commodities into Gaza starting in mid of 2007. Only 15% of Gaza's needs amounted of 600 vans get into Gaza. On the 4th of November, Israel closed all crossings totally. Even the 15% which is not enough, Israel cut it.
Fuel Crisis:
Israel completely cut all kind of fuel including the Industrial one needed for the key power plant. Cocking gas, fuel, Benzin and Gasoline don't enter Gaza leaving people in dire situation.
The power plant is function 50% of its capacity as it was hit by Israel in 2006. It produces around 70 Megawatt out of 140 Megawatt due to lack of spare parts. It consumes around 300 thousands litters of industrial fuel beside the storage fuel, none of that entered Gaza for the last 20 days.
The stoppage of plunged 50-60% into deep darkness due to lack of power. The rest parts depend on Israeli and Egyptian power. Israeli power lines are in bad need for maintenance and repair.
Bread and Bakeries Crisis:
In Gaza the number of bakeries is 47 but now the working ones are 17 only.
Normally, Gaza needs 450 tons of flour; 100 goes for bakeries and 300 for house use. Part of the house share is being provided by UNRWA which halted its work lately.
The remaining flour and wheat quantities would be covering the needs of people for 15 days. After then and if Israel would no be opening border points then a real famine would happen.
Water and Sewage:
The setcor faces a sharp shortage in chlorine needed for Water and soon it will not be pumped along with drinking water. Therefore, contaminated water mixed with sewage would be a reason for plagues.
A more bacterium water would be pumped for civilians in Gaza. Gaza needs 60 cubic of chlorine material and the recent storage is Zero.
Around 100 water wells work out of 145 with 60% capacity of the normal performance. 45 water wells work with ability of 80% this due to spare parts shortage and Israeli closure.
Consumption of water is 220 thousand cubic in the normal time. However, it decreased to 40%. Some areas in the Gaza strip don't get water especially the high locations.
Another serious outcome is sewage water leaking into the sea. It is estimated of 77million litters a day This kills fish resources and causes environmental disaster.
Commodities and Food Crisis:
Basic food stuff like milk, flour, food oils, meat, rice and legumes are not available with big quantities. Other needs are not available like raw materials.
Estimates for daily consumption of the following food products in the Gaza Strip are: 867 tons of flour, 153 tons of sugar, 110 tons of rice, 75 tons of different kinds of oil and 49 tons herbs and vegetables. According to crossing administration only 15 % of Gaza needs get in.
UNRWA Crisis:
Due to the crossing closures all kind of services and relief stuff are being banned to get into Gaza. The UNRWA which provides food parcels for 750.000 persons stopped its vital work.
Industrial Sector:
The industrial sector depends completely on imported raw materials. It depends up to 80% on imported machines and spare parts, and during the peak season of production (May – June) it is possible to export 748 truckloads of industrial products per month (including furniture, food products, clothing and agricultural products).
Since the beginning of the siege, the Occupation cancelled the application of its Customs Code for the Strip, resulting in the stopping of all industrial activities, which depends up to 85% on imported raw materials that are imported from Israel or in transit through it, and statistics indicate that more than 97% of industrial establishments, a total of 3,900, were shut down, stopping the export of their product; as a consequence 33,000 out of 35,000 employees and workers in this sector joined the ranks of the unemployed up to the date of the imposition of the siege in mid June 2007, and after the siege the number of employed industrial workers does not exceed 1,500.
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Sameh A. Habeeb, B.A.
Photojournalist & Peace Activist
Humanitarian, Child Relief Worker
Gaza Strip, Palestine
Mob: 00972599306096
Tel: 0097282802825
E-mail: Sam_hab@hotmail.com
Sameh.habeeb@gmail.com
Skype: Gazatoday, Facebook: Sameh A. habeeb
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