Source of image: Al Jazeera. Life Under Siege
Sketch: Shaymaa Abu-Hasanain [Gaza], Gaza, Palestine
Embroidery: Safaa Abu-Dalu [Gaza], Gaza
Israel has imposed movement restrictions on the Gaza Strip since the early 1990’s. Restrictions intensified in June 2007 following the election of Hamas in 2006. Israel then imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, citing security concerns. Despite relaxation of some blockade-related restrictions in recent years, two million Palestinians in Gaza remain ‘locked in’, denied free access both to the remainder of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and the outside world. The blockade has undermined the living conditions in the coastal enclave and fragmented the oPt and its economic and social fabric. The isolation of Gaza has been exacerbated by restrictions imposed by the Egyptian authorities on Rafah, its only passengers’ crossing.
Era: Sumud - Steadfastness (1948 onwards)
