The Palestinian NGO's Network (PNGO) and Human Rights Organizations in the Gaza Strip, expressed deep concern about the grave implications of the continued Israeli occupation, blockade and aggression on the humanitarian situation of the population in the Gaza Strip which has been worsened by the internal division and its serious implications that deepening the state of humanitarian crisis.
PNGO office in Gaza, on Wednesday, hosted a meeting attended by representatives of Palestinian NGOs members of PNGO as well as representatives of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, and Al Dameer Association for Human Rights to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and its implications.
PNGO and the human rights organizations highlighted the unprecedentedly deteriorated situation in the Gaza Strip caused by the recently adopted Israeli occupation measures coincided with the deepening internal political division; which together caused the population bitterly harvest the consequences of the Israeli occupation's blockade.
The meeting concluded that the intentional crises, collective punishment and the ongoing power crisis led to structural and profound changes in the quality of the essential services thus creating a humanitarian catastrophe and mounted the sufferings of the population in the Gaza Strip.
The health situation of patients in the Gaza Strip has been deteriorating due to the Israeli occupation's measures and restrictions that impede their accesses to hospitals in Israel and the occupied West Bank, in light of the weak potential of the health sector in the Gaza Strip and the inability to provide the necessarily needed medical treatment for a large number of patients; particularly cancer patients.
PNGO and Human Rights organizations noted that facts on the ground indicate that the Israeli occupation's decade long blockade (Gaza blockade began in 2007) and the serious violations of economic, social and cultural rights which caused deterioration of the human rights. Moreover, the Israeli occupation's practices constitute a clear and explicit violation of its obligation under the international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The Israeli occupation practices affected the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip where deterioration of the situation continues.
The Palestinian NGOs believe that the exacerbating electricity crisis and the government's continued threats to cut the most basic and essential services to the population, constitutes an additional challenge in the absence of government plans that address the crisis.
The Palestinian National Reconciliation Government recent measures against civil and military servants in Gaza and the deduction of 30-60% of salaries paid in March 2017, constitute an additional burden on the population that deepen the economic crises they face.
The implications of the recent salary crisis affected all walks life and increased poverty rate and decreased the standard of living, thus raising concerns of disease spread as a result of malnutrition especially among children. Moreover, under the prevailing conditions in the Gaza Strip and the economic crisis, social relations and the sense of security and safety have been affected as a result of the repeated theft and murder.
The economic conditions influenced the youth tendency to migrate and forced them to endure hardships to overcome the difficulties of the disastrous situation in the Gaza Strip.
In light of these facts and successive and expected developments on the ground , the Palestinian NGOs Network and human rights organizations, during the meeting, called to stop all the taken measures against the Gaza Strip as they exacerbated the economic and social crises and increased people's sufferings.
PNGO and the human rights organizations condemned the arrests of activists and members of Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas-affiliated security apparatus, and called to immediately release them.
PNGO and the human rights organizations called to ensure the public freedom, human rights and the right to peaceful assembly.
They also called to end the internal division to progress towards forming a national unity government and reforming the PLO and establishing a Temporary Leadership Framework for the PLO as well as conducting general elections, to fulfill the Palestinians' popular and national demands and restore the national unity to complete the Palestinians struggle for freedom and self-determination and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.
PNGO and the human rights organizations stressed on the need to put the Palestinian internal house in order and strengthen the strengths by achieving the national unity, as a necessary condition for any political movement seeking to ensure the rights of the Palestinian people and ensure respect for the international humanitarian law and implementation of the international legitimacy, in the face of the economic peace initiatives and the process of replacing the Palestinian Authority with local administrations and isolated cantons.
