Posted on: 7 Apr 2008
On World Health Day, DCI/PS is publishing a report on the impact of the Israeli imposed blockade on Gaza on children suffering from cancer and blood diseases in the Strip.
Impact of the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza on the provision of health services in the Gaza Strip.
This report highlights the impact of the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza on the provision of health services in the Gaza Strip. In particular, it focuses on children suffering from cancer and blood diseases, and their inability to access life saving medicines and treatment inside or outside Gaza. Children have the right to enjoy “the highest attainable standard of health”, as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty to facilitate. However, the closing of almost all of Gaza‟s border crossings constitutes a threat to the right of Palestinian children to receive appropriate medical treatment, and a direct threat to their right to life.
A. Introduction: The Gaza blockade
The Gaza Strip has 1.48 million inhabitants and one of the highest population densities in the world. Since the election of the Hamas government in January 2006, drastic restrictions have been imposed on the movement of people and goods in and out of the Strip. The restrictions were significantly tightened when an Israeli soldier was captured by three Palestinian factions in June 2006, and again in June 2007, when Hamas took control of the Gaza strip. Further sanctions were imposed following Israel‟s decision to declare Gaza a “hostile entity” in September 2007, and reductions in fuel and electricity supplies were implemented in September 2007 and January 2008.
Read the full report click here
By: Defence for Children International /Palestine.
Year: 2008
Link: http://www.dci-palestine.org/sites/default/files/gaza_child_cancer_report_2008.PDF
