Gaza Blockade

The blockade has imposed suffering on the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, many of whom are unable to secure adequate food, drinking water or raw materials to build houses.

The blockade has failed to turn Gazans against Hamas, and has instead created an impoverished and immobile society, vulnerable to Hamas indoctrination and oppression.

Israel should heed the warnings of the international community and lift the blockade.

Israel still maintains tight control over Gaza, however, and tensions are high between the two governments. Israel imposed a blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007 when Hamas, a Palestinian militant Islamic group, seized control of the territory.

Hamas is a two-pronged organization; its political wing has provided social relief such as welfare, education and health services for Gaza's inhabitants, but the organization also has a paramilitary faction, which has launched thousands of rockets over the border into Israel, killing Israeli civilians.

Although Israel mainly imposed the Gaza blockade in order to prevent weapons imports from reaching Hamas forces, the blockade has also prevented goods and people from entering or leaving the territory.

Should Israel continue its blockade of Gaza? Is the blockade legal under international law?

The Gaza blockade has created a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, leaving the population there with insufficient food, power and building supplies for a functioning society. The blockade, critics say, is immoral and disproportionate; it collectively punishes an entire population in order to target a few radicals.

Israel does allow some humanitarian aid into the Gaza strip. If boats agree to go through Israeli channels for checking goods, officials examine the cargo and let approved items into the Gaza Strip.

"Gaza Blockade." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 6 July 2010. Web. 3 Sept. 2010. .