Human Rights Watch said - in a report published today, Tuesday, the 15th anniversary of the imposition of the blockade on the Gaza Strip - that the blockade forms part of the Israeli authorities' two crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians.
The human rights organization explained that the comprehensive Israeli restrictions on leaving the Gaza Strip deprive the Gaza Strip's residents, who are more than two million people, from improving their living conditions.
In this report, she notes that restrictions at the Rafah crossing due to Egyptian policies, including unnecessary delays and mistreatment of travelers, have exacerbated the damage the closure is causing to human rights.
The lengthy report quoted several testimonies, one of which was from the director of the Israel-Palestine file in the organization, Omar Shakir, who said that Israel, with the help of Egypt, turned the Gaza Strip into a prison.
Israel, with Egypt's help, has turned Gaza into an open-air prison.
For 15 years.
pic.twitter.com/r5clMxhHiT
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) June 14, 2022
In its report, the organization called on Israel to end the general travel ban imposed on the residents of Gaza, to allow the free movement of people to and from the Gaza Strip, and to suffice in the most extreme cases with individual examinations and body searches for security purposes.
Human Rights Watch stated that it had written to the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to seek their views on its findings, but had not received any responses at the time of writing.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera, the director of the Israel and Palestine file in the organization, Omar Shakir, confirmed that the restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip prevent the residents from improving their livelihood opportunities.
Gaza is connected with the world by 3 crossings, namely Rafah (south), which connects it with Egypt, in addition to two crossings controlled and partially opened by Israel, namely Kerem Shalom, which is dedicated to merchandise (south) and Beit Hanoun, which is dedicated to the movement of people (north).