Israel prevents entry of blankets, clothing, shoes into Gaza

Israel has been preventing the entry of blankets, clothing and shoes into the Gaza Strip for over a year, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor has reported. This includes essential supplies for children, as the region faces harsh winter conditions and a catastrophic humanitarian situation.

In a statement issued yesterday, the organisation emphasised that there is no legal justification under international law for blocking the entry of such basic items for civilians. It accused Israel of imposing these restrictions as part of efforts to create harsh living conditions for Palestinians, leading to their gradual extermination, “as part of the comprehensive crime of genocide it is committing in the Gaza Strip.”

The statement noted that the total number of trucks allowed into Gaza during this period has not exceeded six per cent of the population’s daily needs. Most of these shipments consist of food supplies, while the proportion of clothing and footwear has been limited to a mere 0.001 per cent. This has led to a severe crisis, particularly as Israel has destroyed at least 70 per cent of Gaza’s homes, along with most commercial outlets and markets, including clothing stores, as a result of Palestinian merchants’ limited ability to coordinate the entry of goods with Israeli authorities.

It added that nearly two million Palestinians, out of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, have been forcibly displaced from their homes. Most now live in tents, schools, or the remnants of destroyed houses, having been repeatedly displaced. Many were forced to leave their belongings behind, fleeing with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241127-israel-prevents-entry-of-blankets-clothing-shoes-into-gaza/