The worsening economic and humanitarian situation raised great concern abroad. According to the
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in January 2003, the Israeli blockade and closures had drained as much as US$2.4 billion out of the economy of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Throughout 2006, the
Karni crossing was only partially operational, costing Palestinians $500,000 a day, as less than 10% of the Gaza Strip's minimal daily export targets were achieved. Basic food commodities were severely depleted, bakeries closed and food rationing was introduced. The
World Bank estimated in 2015 that the GDP losses caused by the blockade since 2007 was above 50%, and entailed large welfare losses. Gaza's manufacturing sector, once significant, shrunk by as much as 60% in real terms, due to the wars in the past 20 years and the blockade. Gaza's exports virtually disappeared since the imposition of the 2007 blockade. The World Bank said that "solutions have to be found to enable faster inflow of construction materials into Gaza" while taking into account "legitimate security concerns of neighboring countries."
Role in turning Gaza into an "open-air prison" Several rights groups have characterized the situation in Gaza as an "open-air prison", including the
United Nations,
Human Rights Watch, and the
Norwegian Refugee Council. This characterization was often cited by a number of human rights activists, politicians, and media news outlets reporting on the
Gaza-Israel conflict and the wider
Palestinian–Israeli conflict. Former British prime minister
David Cameron, US senator
Bernie Sanders, former Israeli diplomat
Gideon Levy, and Israeli historian
Ilan Pappe have endorsed this characterization as well. In 2022, Human Rights Watch issued a report on the situation in the Gaza Strip, which it called an "open-air prison" due to the blockade and held Israel responsible as the occupying power, and to a lesser degree Egypt, which has restricted movement of Palestinians through its border. It is estimated that in November, less than 20,000 liters of fuel per week entered Gaza via the tunnels, compared to nearly 1 million liters per day until June 2013. The
Gaza Power Plant (GPP), which had been supplying 30 percent of the electricity available in Gaza, has been exclusively dependent on Egyptian diesel smuggled through the tunnels, since early 2011. On 1 November, after depleting its fuel reserves, the GPP was forced to shut down, triggering power outages of up to 16 hours per day, up from 8–12 hours prior to that. The World Bank estimated in 2015 that the GDP losses caused by the blockade since 2007 was above 50%, and entailed large welfare losses. Gaza's manufacturing sector, once significant, shrunk by as much as 60 percent in real terms, due to the wars in the past 20 years and the blockade. Gaza's exports virtually disappeared since the imposition of the 2007 blockade. The World Bank said that "solutions have to be found to enable faster inflow of construction materials into Gaza" while taking into account "legitimate security concerns of neighboring countries."
Movement of people Because of the widespread violence within Israel during the
Second Intifada that began in September 2000, Israel closed all entry points between Israel and the Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, and closed the
Gaza International Airport. On 9 October 2001, all movement of people and goods between Israel and the Palestinian territories was halted, and a complete internal closure came into effect on 14 November 2001. to enter the Gaza Strip, July 2005. The Intifada came to an end in February 2005, and Israel forces and settlers left the Gaza Strip by 1 September 2005 as part of
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan. To improve the movement of people and economic activity in the Gaza Strip, Israel and the PA on 15 November 2005 signed an "
Agreement on Movement and Access" (AMA). The AMA provided for the reopening of the
Rafah crossing with Egypt, which was to be monitored by the PA and the
European Union. Only people with
Palestinian identity cards or foreign nationals, subject to Israeli oversight, were to be permitted to cross. In mid-November 2005, Israel started allowing some workers and traders to enter Israel via the
Erez crossing, if they had Israeli-issued permits, but until 21 January 2006, the crossing was open on less than 50% of working days on average. Israel had previously agreed, as part of the Oslo Accords, to treat Gaza and the West Bank as a single territorial unit, a position upheld by the Israeli High Court. AMA stipulated the opening hours of crossings between Gaza and Israel and the number of trucks/truckloads to pass through them. It also stipulated that bus convoys, carrying Palestinians from Gaza to the West Bank and vice versa, would start on 15 December 2005; and truck convoys, carrying goods on the same route, would start on 15 January 2006. This agreement was not upheld, as neither bus nor truck convoys started by their respective dates. Israel first announced that according to its interpretation, Israel was only obliged to run a "test" or "pilot" bus route and only for Palestinians meeting certain Israeli-specified requirements, then delayed this pilot project "indefinitely". The Palestinians claim that Israel did not honor AMA in relation to movement of people between Gaza and the West Bank. The bus convoys between Gaza and the West Bank (which were to start on 15 December 2005) never started.
Goods blocked In the "Failing Gaza" report,
Amnesty International and other organizations wrote that cement, glass, steel, bitumen, wood, paint, doors, plastic pipes, metal pipes, metal reinforcement rods, aggregate, generators, high voltage cables and wooden telegraph poles were "high priority reconstruction materials currently with no or highly limited entry into Gaza through official crossings." The Palestinians who negotiated the 2008 cease-fire believed that commerce in Gaza was to be restored to the levels preceding Israel's 2005 withdrawal and Hamas's electoral victory. Israel permitted a 20% increase in goods trucked into Gaza in the pre-lull period, up from 70 to 90 truckloads a day, Fuel supplies increased from 55
MW worth to 65 MW worth. Israel said that food imports into the Strip were limited by its inability to operate at border checkpoints. Israel said that travel restrictions on Gazans are necessary to protect national security, citing the cases of three Gazans who claimed to require medical attention in Israel but were in fact planning attacks in Israel. They are also used to smuggle illegal arms (including rockets, mortars and explosives) to Gaza militants. Ahead of the Islamic festival,
Eid al-Adha, they were used to transport live cattle. Following the
removal of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi from office, Egypt's military had destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels used for smuggling food, weapons and other goods into Gaza. After protest sit-ins in Egypt supporting Morsi
were dispersed, the border crossing was closed 'indefinitely'.
Buffer zone In October 2014, days after an attack in which 33 Egyptian soldiers were killed, Egypt announced it may create a buffer zone between Palestinian Rafah and Egyptian Rafah, where most tunnels were believed to be. Initially, the width of the buffer zone was 500 meter but on 18 November 2014, Egypt said it would expand it to 1 km. On 29 December 2014, the buffer zone was extended again to 5 km. Egyptian authorities began implementing phase two in the flattening of large swaths of Egyptian Rafah where over 2,000 families lived, and widened the buffer zone. According to Egyptian reports, the second phase involved destroying everything standing across an additional 500 meters from the border area, on top of the 500 meters already cleared several months earlier.
Effects of land blockade on Gaza There have been several reports and studies analysing the effect of the blockade on Gaza. In July 2008, an
UNRWA report on the situation in Gaza stated that "the number of households in Gaza below the consumption poverty line continued to grow, reaching 51.8% in 2007 (from 50.7% in 2006)". In the same year, a Palestinian Bureau of Statistics study concluded that 80% of families in Gaza were living below the poverty line. A
World Health Organization assessment conducted in 2009 claimed that the level of anemia in babies (9–12 months) was as high as 65%, while a Socio-economic and Food Security Survey Report stated that 61% of Gazans are food insecure and reliant on humanitarian aid. Of those that are food insecure, 65% are children under 18 years. Lastly, a
European Network of Implementing Development Agencies (EUNIDA) report notes that, because of the security buffer zone imposed around Gaza as part of the blockade, as of June 2009, 46% of agricultural land was either inaccessible or out of production. There is also "an acute electricity crisis", where electricity supplies are "interrupted for seven hours a day on average". As a consequence, they note that public services, particularly health services, have suffered, posing "a serious risk to the treatment of patients". In addition, medical equipment is difficult to repair, and medical staff cannot leave to gain more training. Lastly, the ICRC note that sanitation is suffering, because construction projects lack the equipment needed, or the equipment is of poor quality. Only 60% of the population is connected to a sewerage collection system, with the rest polluting the Gaza aquifer. As a result, water is largely "unfit for consumption". A 25 May 2010
United Nations Development Programme report stated that, as a result of the blockade, most of Gaza's manufacturing industry has closed, and unemployment stood at an estimated 40%, a decrease on previous years. The blockade has also prevented much needed construction, noting that almost "none of the 3,425 homes destroyed during Cast Lead have been reconstructed, displacing around 20,000 people". Less than 20% "of the value of the damages to educational facilities has been repaired", only "half of the damage to the power network has been repaired", "no repair has been made to the transport infrastructure", "a quarter of damaged farmland has been rehabilitated and only 40% of private businesses have been repaired". An August 2012 report by UNRWA of the blockade's effects and general trends in Gaza forecasted that the region's population growth would outpace developments in economic infrastructure. In its press release, UN humanitarian coordinator Maxwell Gaylard said, "Gaza will have half a million more people by 2020 while its economy will grow only slowly. In consequence, the people of Gaza will have an even harder time getting enough drinking water and electricity, or sending their children to school." A UN
OCHA 2015 report stated that "longstanding access restrictions imposed by Israel have undermined Gaza's economy, resulting in high levels of unemployment, food insecurity and aid dependency," and that "Israeli restrictions on the import of basic construction materials and equipment have significantly deteriorated the quality of basic services, and impede the reconstruction and repair of homes."
Naval blockade The
Israeli Navy enforces a maritime
blockade of the
Port of Gaza and the coastline. Under the
Oslo II Accord, activities of the
Palestinian Naval Police are restricted to from the coast. Under the 1994
Gaza–Jericho Agreement, which was not implemented, Palestinian fishing was to be permitted up to offshore. In July 2018, Israel further restricted the Gaza fishing space to . Israel has intercepted a number of vessels attempting to bring supplies into Gaza, claiming that they may be providing goods that may be used to build arms. A humanitarian mission organised by the
Free Gaza Movement, with
Cynthia McKinney and
Mairead Maguire on board, was intercepted by Israel attempting to sail to Gaza. They were deported but the supplies were later delivered to Gaza over land by truck. On 29 April 2014, ''Gaza's Ark'', a vessel being converted in Gaza from a fishing boat to carry cargo to Europe, was sunk by an explosion following a telephone warning to the guard, who was uninjured. The organisers of the project suspect that Israel forces are responsible. Between 2000 and 2018,
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has documented 1,283 incidents involving Palestinian fishermen, including 1,192 shooting incidents that led to the death of 8 fishermen and to the injury of 134 fishermen. During these incidents, 656 fishermen were detained, and 209 boats were confiscated.
Effect on the fishing industry '' report on the effects on the fishing industry The sea blockade has caused damage to Gaza fishing industry. The
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has estimated that Gaza fishermen need to journey at least 12–15 nautical miles from shore to catch larger shoals, and sardines in particular are offshore. Shoals closer to shore have been depleted. The total catch pre-blockade in 1999 was nearly 4,000 tons, this was reduced to 2,700 tons in 2008. In the 90s, the Gaza fishing industry was worth $10 million annually or 4% of the total Palestinian economy; this was halved between 2001 and 2006. 45,000 Palestinians were employed in the fishing industry, employed in jobs such as catching fish, repairing nets and selling fish. Fish also provided much-needed animal protein to Gazans' diet. The
International Committee of the Red Cross also notes that "90% of Gaza's 4000 fishermen are now considered either poor (with a monthly income of between US$100 and US$190) or very poor (earning less than US$100 a month), up from 50% in 2008." Nezar Ayyash, head of Gaza's fishermen's union, is quoted as saying that he has been arrested and his boat confiscated several times. The next day,
Attorney General of Israel Menachem Mazuz suspended the electricity cuts, and the
Israeli Supreme Court gave the government three days to justify its energy cuts policy. On 1 December 2007, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the electricity cuts were unlawful, and ordered the Israeli military to stop them by the following day, but also allowed Israel to continue reducing its diesel and gasoline shipments to Gaza.
Control of Gazan air space The Oslo Accords interim peace agreements expressly give Israel security control over Gazan airspace and coastal waters. Gazan air space is controlled by radar.
Limitation of basic goods Israel allows limited
humanitarian supplies from aid organizations into the Gaza Strip, but not dual-use items, which can also be used for military purposes. According to the
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories of the Israel Defense Forces, in May 2010, this included over 1.5 million litres of diesel fuel and gasoline, fruits and vegetables, wheat, sugar, meat, chicken and fish products, dairy products, animal feed, hygiene products, clothing and shoes. According to
Gisha, items that have at various times been denied importation into Gaza in 2010 include ordinary consumer goods such as jam, candles, books, musical instruments, shampoo, A4 paper, and livestock such as chicken, donkeys, and cows. The
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (COGAT) also lists
wheelchairs, dry food items,
crayons,
stationery, and
soccer balls as shipments that Israeli authorities have prevented from entering Gaza. International aid group
Mercy Corps said it was blocked from sending 90 tons of macaroni and other foodstuffs. After international pressure, Israeli authorities said that they were giving the shipment a green light. Israel was also reported to have prevented aid groups from sending in other items, such as paper, art supplies, tomato paste and lentils. Because of an Israeli ban on the importation of construction materials such as cement and steel, which could be used to build bunkers for military use by Hamas, the UN Relief and Works Agency started to build mud brick homes. Aid agencies say that while food and other essential supplies pile up in warehouses and await trucks at crossing points, Israel's COGAT, which controls access to Gaza, routinely rejects or delays shipments, often without explanation. Humanitarian workers and officials describe the approval process as arbitrary and sometimes contradictory. Even minor issues, such as a single item deemed problematic, can result in the entire truck being turned back, forcing it to restart a lengthy clearance process that may take weeks. Items have been rejected as "luxuries", including chocolate croissants, or flagged as potential dual-use goods: a truckload of green sleeping bags was turned away because COGAT associated the color with the military. Since early January 2026, Israel has permitted certain commercial traders to import and sell items classified as dual-use in Gaza while humanitarian organisations remain prohibited from bringing in the same goods. Under this system, private-sector shipments of items such as generators and metal pallets have been allowed to enter Gaza through Israeli-controlled crossings. Aid officials and humanitarian agencies have said this has made essential items available primarily through commercial markets, where they are sold at significantly higher prices, limiting access for much of the civilian population. Dual-use items barred since the start of the Gaza war include wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, solar panels, and smoke detectors. Critics of these restrictions, including United Nations agencies and human rights organisations, say their broad scope has impeded repairs to critical civilian infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, worsening the humanitarian situation. They argue that restrictions on reconstruction materials have had a greater documented impact on civilian life than allegations of diversion cited by Israeli authorities.
Limitation system In September 2007, the Israeli cabinet voted to tighten the restrictions on the Gaza strip. The cabinet decision stated, "the movement of goods into the Gaza Strip will be restricted; the supply of gas and electricity will be reduced; and restrictions will be imposed on the movement of people from the Strip and to it." In January 2010, the Israeli group
Gisha took Israeli authorities to court, forcing them to reveal which goods were permitted and which goods were not. The Israeli government replied that canned fruit, fruit juices and chocolate are blocked, while at the same time canned meat, canned tuna, mineral water,
sesame paste, tea and coffee are allowed into the Gaza Strip. Banned items also included coriander, shampoo and shoes. In October 2010, papers were released which revealed a system to maintain the minimum level of basic goods entering the Strip. It contained upper and lower warning lines, identifying surpluses and shortages of listed products in Gaza. In October 2012, an Israeli court forced Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to release a document that detailed "red lines" for "food consumption in the Gaza strip" during the 2007 blockade. According to the COGAT, the document was a rough draft, and never actually implemented. He want on further to say that there was never even any discussion after the document had been drafted. The document calculates the minimum number of calories necessary to keep Gazans from malnutrition and avoid a humanitarian crisis. This number was converted to a number of daily truckloads, the number being decreased to account for food produced in Gaza, and further on the basis of "culture and experience" of the Gazans. This reduction, if implemented, would have resulted in an increase in sugar and a decrease in fruits, vegetables, milk, and meat. Israel limits the amount of load the trucks may carry, ostensibly for security reasons. In the past, the total height of goods stacked on trucks was not allowed to exceed 1.2 meters. The Israeli authorities did not explain why they did not use to its full potential the scanner, donated by the Dutch government and calibrated according to the military's specifications, which can scan at a height of 2 meters. In February 2016, the allowed height was increased to 1.5 meters. ==Legality of the blockade==