Editing Gaza Strip (section)

==Status==
{{Main|Status of territories occupied by Israel in 1967}}
Due to both the Israeli blockade and Hamas's authoritarian policies and actions, US political organization [[Freedom House]] ranks Gaza as "not free".<ref name="freedomhouse" />[[File:Watchtower rafah gaza strip april 2009.jpg|thumb|A watchtower on the border between [[Rafah]] and Egypt]]

===Israeli occupation===
{{Main|Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip}}
[[File:Map of Gaza Strip with no-go zone 2012.jpg|thumb|Gaza Strip with Israeli-controlled borders and limited fishing zone, as of December 2012]]
Despite the 2005 Israeli disengagement from Gaza,<ref name="occ" /> the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and the majority of governments and legal commentators consider the territory to be still occupied by Israel, supported by additional restrictions placed on Gaza by Egypt.<ref name="isrlpa13698">[https://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/06/isrlpa13698.htm "Human Rights Council Special Session on the Occupied Palestinian Territories"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015172833/http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/06/isrlpa13698.htm|date=15 October 2008}} 6 July 2006; Human Rights Watch considers Gaza still occupied.</ref><ref name="cnn2009-01-06">{{cite news |last=Levs |first=Josh |date=6 January 2009 |title=Is Gaza 'occupied' territory? |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/06/israel.gaza.occupation.question/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090121084340/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/06/israel.gaza.occupation.question/index.html |archive-date=21 January 2009 |access-date=30 May 2009 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="occ2">Multiple sources:
* {{cite book |last=Sanger |first=Andrew |title=Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law - 2010 |date=2011 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-90-6704-811-8 |editor=M.N. Schmitt |volume=13 |page=429 |chapter=The Contemporary Law of Blockade and the Gaza Freedom Flotilla |doi=10.1007/978-90-6704-811-8_14 |quote=Israel claims it no longer occupies the Gaza Strip, maintaining that it is neither a Stale nor a territory occupied or controlled by Israel, but rather it has 'sui generis' status. Pursuant to the Disengagement Plan, Israel dismantled all military institutions and settlements in Gaza and there is no longer a permanent Israeli military or civilian presence in the territory. However, the Plan also provided that Israel will guard and monitor the external land perimeter of the Gaza Strip, will continue to maintain exclusive authority in Gaza air space, and will continue to exercise security activity in the sea off the coast of the Gaza Strip as well as maintaining an Israeli military presence on the Egyptian-Gaza border. and reserving the right to reenter Gaza at will. <br />Israel continues to control six of Gaza's seven land crossings, its maritime borders and airspace and the movement of goods and persons in and out of the territory. Egypt controls one of Gaza's land crossings. Troops from the Israeli Defence Force regularly enter pans of the territory and/or deploy missile attacks, drones and sonic bombs into Gaza. Israel has declared a no-go buffer zone that stretches deep into Gaza: if Gazans enter this zone they are shot on sight. Gaza is also dependent on Israel for water, electricity, telecommunications and other utilities, currency, issuing IDs, and permits to enter and leave the territory. Israel also has sole control of the Palestinian Population Registry through which the Israeli Army regulates who is classified as a Palestinian and who is a Gazan or West Banker. Since 2000 aside from a limited number of exceptions Israel has refused to add people to the Palestinian Population Registry.<br />It is this direct external control over Gaza and indirect control over life within Gaza that has led the United Nations, the UN General Assembly, the UN Fact Finding Mission to Gaza, International human rights organisations, US Government websites, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a significant number of legal commentators, to reject the argument that Gaza is no longer occupied. |editor2=Louise Arimatsu |editor3=Tim McCormack |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hYiIWVlpFzEC&pg=PA429}}
* {{cite book |last=Scobbie |first=Iain |author-link=Iain Scobbie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GM90Xp03uuEC&pg=PA295 |title=International Law and the Classification of Conflicts |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-965775-9 |editor=Elizabeth Wilmshurst |page=295 |quote=Even after the accession to power of Hamas, Israel's claim that it no longer occupies Gaza has not been accepted by UN bodies, most States, nor the majority of academic commentators because of its exclusive control of its border with Gaza and crossing points including the effective control it exerted over the Rafah crossing until at least May 2011, its control of Gaza's maritime zones and airspace which constitute what Aronson terms the 'security envelope' around Gaza, as well as its ability to intervene forcibly at will in Gaza.}}
* {{cite book |last=Gawerc |first=Michelle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hka8FZ4UdWUC&pg=PA44 |title=Prefiguring Peace: Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Partnerships |date=2012 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=9780739166109 |page=44 |quote=While Israel withdrew from the immediate territory, it remained in control of all access to and from Gaza through the border crossings, as well as through the coastline and the airspace. In addition, Gaza was dependent upon Israel for water, electricity sewage communication networks and for its trade (Gisha 2007. Dowty 2008). ln other words, while Israel maintained that its occupation of Gaza ended with its unilateral disengagement Palestinians – as well as many human right organizations and international bodies – argued that Gaza was by all intents and purposes still occupied. |access-date=8 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228174718/https://books.google.com/books?id=Hka8FZ4UdWUC&pg=PA44 |archive-date=28 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Israel maintains direct external control over Gaza and indirect control over life within Gaza: it controls Gaza's air and maritime space, as well as six of Gaza's seven land crossings. It reserves the right to enter Gaza at will with its military and maintains a no-go buffer zone within the Gaza territory. Gaza is dependent on Israel for water, electricity, telecommunications, and other utilities.<ref name="occ" /><ref name="AI_briefing" /> The extensive Israeli buffer zone within the Strip renders much land off-limits to Gaza's inhabitants.<ref>Hilmi S.Salem, 'Social, Environmental and Security Impacts of Climate Change on the Eastern Mediterranean,' in Hans Günter Brauch, Úrsula Oswald Spring, Czeslaw Mesjasz, John Grin, Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Béchir Chourou, Pál Dunay, Joern Birkmann (eds.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=v-9h-mXLaWQC&pg=PA431 ''Coping with Global Environmental Change, Disasters and Security: Threats, Challenges, Vulnerabilities and Risks,''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102100659/https://books.google.com/books?id=v-9h-mXLaWQC&pg=PA431|date=2 November 2022}} Springer Science & Business Media, 2011 pp.421–445 p.431.</ref> The system of control imposed by Israel was described in the fall 2012 edition of [[International Security (journal)|''International Security'']] as an "indirect occupation".<ref>Jerome Slater, [https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3702_Slater.pdf Just War Moral Philosophy and the 2008–09 Israeli Campaign in Gaza "The continued Israeli de facto or, as it was sometimes called, "indirect occupation" of Gaza was so repressive that it was common for Israeli journalists, academicians, human rights organizations, and even former high government officials such as Shlomo Ben-Ami to describe Gaza as "an open air prison"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024142223/https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/IS3702_Slater.pdf|date=24 October 2019}}, International Security 37(2):44-80 · October 2012</ref> The [[European Union]] (EU) considers Gaza to be occupied.<ref name="eccpalestine.org">{{cite web |title=EU Heads of Missions' report on Gaza 2013 |url=http://www.eccpalestine.org/eu-heads-of-missions-report-on-gaza/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714172357/http://www.eccpalestine.org/eu-heads-of-missions-report-on-gaza/ |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=2014-08-02 |publisher=Eccpalestine.org}}</ref>

The international community regards all of the [[Palestinian territories]] including Gaza as [[Israeli-occupied territories|occupied]].<ref name="aj_reality_check">See the short video [http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/2015/10/reality-check-gaza-occupied-151023153703888.html ''Reality Check: Gaza is still occupied''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205121934/http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/upfront/2015/10/reality-check-gaza-occupied-151023153703888.html |date=5 February 2016 }} on Al Jazeera, showing the arguments</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] has declared at the [[UN Human Rights Council]] that it views Israel as a ''de facto'' occupying power in the Gaza Strip, even though Israel has no military or other presence, because the [[Oslo Accords]] authorize Israel to control the [[airspace]] and the [[territorial sea]].<ref name="isrlpa13698" /><ref name="cnn2009-01-06" /><ref name="AI_briefing">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/007/2009/en/ |title=Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories: The conflict in Gaza: A briefing on applicable law, investigations and accountability |date=19 January 2009 |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=5 June 2009 |archive-date=15 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415160014/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/007/2009/en/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In his statement on the [[2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict]], [[Richard A. Falk|Richard Falk]], [[United Nations Special Rapporteur]] wrote that [[international humanitarian law]] applied to Israel "in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war."<ref>Richard Falk, [http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/F1EC67EF7A498A30C125752D005D17F7?opendocument Statement by Prof. Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229102020/http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/view01/F1EC67EF7A498A30C125752D005D17F7?opendocument |date=29 December 2008 }}, [[United Nations Human Rights Council]], 27 December 2008.</ref> [[Amnesty International]], the [[World Health Organization]], [[Oxfam]], the [[International Committee of the Red Cross]], the [[United Nations]], the [[United Nations General Assembly]], the [[United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict|UN Fact Finding Mission to Gaza]], international human rights organizations, US government websites, the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office]], and a significant number of legal commentators ([[Geoffrey Aronson]], [[Meron Benvenisti]], Claude Bruderlein, Sari Bashi, Kenneth Mann, Shane Darcy, John Reynolds, [[Yoram Dinstein]], [[John Dugard]], Marc S. Kaliser, [[Birzeit University|Mustafa Mari]], and [[Iain Scobbie]]) maintain that Israel's extensive direct external control over Gaza, and indirect control over the lives of its internal population mean that Gaza remained occupied.<ref>[http://imeu.org/article/reference-sheet-israel-gaza-international-law1 'Israel, Gaza & International Law,'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714230552/http://imeu.org/article/reference-sheet-israel-gaza-international-law1 |date=14 July 2015 }} 19 November 2012</ref><ref>A. Sanger, 'The Contemporary Law of Blockade and the Gaza Freedom Flotilla,' in M.N. Schmitt, Louise Arimatsu, Tim McCormack (eds.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=hYiIWVlpFzEC&pg=PA430 ''Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law – 2010,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101202/https://books.google.com/books?id=hYiIWVlpFzEC&pg=PA430 |date=2 November 2022 }} Springer, 2011. pp.429–430</ref><ref name="icrcoccupied">{{cite web |date=13 October 2023 |title=Frequently asked questions on ICRC's work in Israel and the occupied territories |url=https://www.icrc.org/en/document/frequently-asked-questions-icrcs-work-israel-and-occupied-territories |accessdate=24 October 2023 |publisher=International Committee of the Red Cross |archive-date=29 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029201111/https://www.icrc.org/en/document/frequently-asked-questions-icrcs-work-israel-and-occupied-territories |url-status=live }}</ref> In spite of [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005]], the Hamas government in Gaza considers Gaza as occupied territory.<ref name=hamas_faq>[http://hamas.ps/en/page/13/FAQ ''Israel ended its occupation of the Gaza Strip when it withdrew from Gaza in 2005, so why does Hamas continue to fire rockets into Israel?''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114085112/http://hamas.ps/en/page/13/FAQ |date=14 November 2015 }}. FAQ on the official Hamas website. Accessed November 2015. "This is one of the myths perpetuated by Israel's propaganda ... Israel re-deployed its military occupation forces and evacuated its illegal settlers outside the population centers in Gaza. BUT Israel effectively controls the sea, land and air spaces and border crossings that link the Gaza Strip to the outside world. According to the UN and human rights organizations, Israel still maintains its occupation of the Gaza Strip and subjects the 1.8 million Palestinians in this tiny strip to a horrendous siege and blockade that constitute a war crime under international law." Here, Hamas cites the view of the international community.</ref>

Israel states that it does not exercise effective control or authority over any land or institutions in the Gaza Strip and thus the Gaza Strip is no longer subject to the former [[military occupation]].<ref name=Gold>Dore Gold, [http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief005-3.htm JCPA Legal Acrobatics: The Palestinian Claim that Gaza is Still "Occupied" Even After Israel Withdraws] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621082606/http://jcpa.org/brief/brief005-3.htm |date=21 June 2010 }}, [[Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs]], Vol. 5, No. 3, 26 August 2005.</ref><ref>[http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=443&PID=0&IID=2021&TTL=International_Law_and_Gaza:_The_Assault_on_Israel’s_Right_to_Self-Defense International Law and Gaza: The Assault on Israel's Right to Self-Defense] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306092456/http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=443&PID=0&IID=2021&TTL=International_Law_and_Gaza%3A_The_Assault_on_Israel%E2%80%99s_Right_to_Self-Defense |date=6 March 2012 }}, [[Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs]], Vol. 7, No. 29 28 January 2008.</ref> [[Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel]] [[Tzipi Livni]] stated in January 2008: "Israel got out of Gaza. It dismantled its settlements there. No Israeli soldiers were left there after the disengagement."<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches+by+Israeli+leaders/2008/Address+by+FM+Livni+to+the+8th+Herzliya+Conference+22-Jan-2008.htm?DisplayMode=print Israeli MFA Address by Israeli Foreign Minister Livni to the 8th Herzliya Conference] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026025009/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Speeches%2Bby%2BIsraeli%2Bleaders/2008/Address%2Bby%2BFM%2BLivni%2Bto%2Bthe%2B8th%2BHerzliya%2BConference%2B22-Jan-2008.htm?DisplayMode=print |date=26 October 2011 }}, [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)]], 22 January 2008.</ref> On 30 January 2008, the [[Supreme Court of Israel]] ruled that the Gaza Strip was not occupied by Israel in a decision on a petition against Israeli restrictions against the Gaza Strip which argued that it remained occupied. The Supreme Court ruled that Israel has not exercised effective control over the Gaza Strip since 2005, and accordingly, it was no longer occupied.<ref>{{cite web |title=Behind the Headlines: Israeli Supreme Court Decision HCJ 9132/07 |date=3 Feb 2008 |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/issues/pages/court%20upholds%20israeli%20limitations%20of%20the%20supply%20of%20fuel%20and%20electricity%20to%20gaza%203-feb-2008.aspx |access-date=30 October 2018 |archive-date=31 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052821/http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/foreignpolicy/issues/pages/court%20upholds%20israeli%20limitations%20of%20the%20supply%20of%20fuel%20and%20electricity%20to%20gaza%203-feb-2008.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some legal commentators agree with the Israeli position. In an analysis published in the ''Netherlands International Law Review'', Hanne Cuyckens asserted that Gaza is no longer occupied, stating that there is no effective control under Article 42 of the Hague Regulations. While she acknowledged that Israel has obligations toward Gaza due to its level of control, she argued these responsibilities stem from general international humanitarian law and international human rights law, rather than the law of occupation.<ref name=cuyckens>{{cite journal |last=Cuyckens |first=Hanne |year=2016 |title=Is Israel Still an Occupying Power in Gaza? |journal=Netherlands International Law Review |volume=63 |issue=3 |pages=275–295 |doi=10.1007/s40802-016-0070-1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Israeli law professors [[Yuval Shany]] and [[Avi Bell]] contested the classification of Gaza as occupied, with Shany asserting that it's difficult to view Israel as the occupying power under traditional law, while Bell argued that the Gaza Strip is not occupied as the blockade does not constitute effective control, citing international legal precedents requiring direct control over both the territory and its civilian population.<ref name=shany>{{Cite journal |last=Shany |first=Yuval |date=19 October 2007 |title=Faraway, So Close: The Legal Status of Gaza After Israel's Disengagement |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/yearbook-of-international-humanitarian-law/article/abs/faraway-so-close-the-legal-status-of-gaza-after-israels-disengagement/51EE48DCE49EE52C6AC503DACADDAB76 |journal=Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law |language=en |volume=8 |pages=369–383 |doi=10.1017/S1389135905003697 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |issn=1574-096X |access-date=2 July 2024 |archive-date=26 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426014700/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/yearbook-of-international-humanitarian-law/article/abs/faraway-so-close-the-legal-status-of-gaza-after-israels-disengagement/51EE48DCE49EE52C6AC503DACADDAB76 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=bell>{{cite report |last=Bell |first=Avi |date=July 2014 |title=Israel May Stop Supplying Water and Electricity to Gaza |publisher=Kohelet Policy Forum |url=https://euiha41fnsb2lyeld3vkc37i-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/israel-may-stop-supplying-water-and-electricity-to-Gaza-updated.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203183846/https://euiha41fnsb2lyeld3vkc37i-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/israel-may-stop-supplying-water-and-electricity-to-Gaza-updated.pdf |archive-date=2018-02-03 |url-status=live}}</ref> Likewise, Israeli Supreme Court judge [[Alex Stein]] argued in 2014 that Gaza was not occupied.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/newly-appointed-israeli-supreme-court-justice-rapped-high-court-1.5863689 |title=Israel's New Supreme Court Justice's Deleted Facebook Post: Israel Isn't Obligated to Provide Gaza With Electricity |date=28 February 2018 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=13 October 2018 |archive-date=13 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013211927/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/newly-appointed-israeli-supreme-court-justice-rapped-high-court-1.5863689 |url-status=live }}</ref> Michael W. Meier, a Visiting Professor at [[Emory University School of Law]] and Acting Director of Emory International Humanitarian Law Clinic, wrote that in his view, Gaza had not been occupied since 2005 as Israel no longer maintained military forces in the territory and because Hamas controlled most administrative functions and all public services, thus Israel did not have effective control.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lieber.westpoint.edu/question-whether-gaza-occupied-territory/ |title=Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Question of Whether Gaza Is Occupied Territory |date=15 December 2023 |access-date=17 October 2024 |archive-date=5 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905101029/https://lieber.westpoint.edu/question-whether-gaza-occupied-territory/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Michael N. Schmitt]] likewise writes that Israel did not occupy Gaza after 2005, as in his view effective control requires some degree of power over daily governance of the territory, while Hamas often governed in manner contrary to Israeli interests and desires, and that if an area is regularly used as a base of significant military operations against another party to the conflict, the other party cannot be said to have effective control over it. However, he wrote that this did not mean Israel bore no obligations to the people of Gaza.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lieber.westpoint.edu/legal-context-operations-al-aqsa-flood-swords-of-iron/ |title=Israel – Hamas 2023 Symposium – The Legal Context of Operations Al-Aqsa Flood and Swords of Iron |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=17 October 2024 |archive-date=3 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241003002233/https://lieber.westpoint.edu/legal-context-operations-al-aqsa-flood-swords-of-iron/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 19 July 2024, the [[International Court of Justice]] noted in ''[[ICJ case on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories|Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem]]'' that "for the purpose of determining whether a territory remains occupied under international law, the decisive criterion is not whether the occupying Power retains its physical military presence in the territory at all times but rather whether its authority has been established and can be exercised" and concluded that "The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying Power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the [[Occupied Palestinian territories|Occupied Palestinian Territory]] and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory unlawful". The court also ruled that Israel should pay full [[Reparations (transitional justice)|reparations]] to the Palestinian people for the damage the occupation has caused, and determined that its policies violate the [[International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination]].<ref>
*{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf|title=Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem|date=19 July 2024|work=[[United Nations]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240723012621/https://www.un.org/unispal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf|archive-date=23 July 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.972mag.com/icj-israel-occupation-illegal/|title=Israel always sold the occupation as legal. The ICJ now terrifies them|last=Bisharat|first=Ghousoon|date=23 July 2024|work=[[+972 magazine]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724063617/https://www.972mag.com/icj-israel-occupation-illegal/|archive-date=24 July 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1152651|title=Independent rights experts urge States to comply with ICJ ruling on Israel|last=|first=|date=30 July 2024|work=[[United Nations]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241012202650/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1152651|archive-date=12 October 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/icj-opinion-declaring-israels-occupation-of-palestinian-territories-unlawful-is-historic-vindication-of-palestinians-rights/|title=ICJ opinion declaring Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful is historic vindication of Palestinians' rights|date=19 July 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240719181940/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/icj-opinion-declaring-israels-occupation-of-palestinian-territories-unlawful-is-historic-vindication-of-palestinians-rights/|archive-date=19 July 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240719-top-un-court-international-court-justice-says-israel-occupation-palestinian-territories-unlawful-west-bank-settlements|title=Top UN court says Israel's occupation of Palestinian Territories is 'unlawful'|date=19 July 2024|work=[[France 24]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241012203000/https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240719-top-un-court-international-court-justice-says-israel-occupation-palestinian-territories-unlawful-west-bank-settlements|archive-date=12 October 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo|title=UN top court says Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal|last=Berg|first=Raffi|date=19 July 2024|work=[[BBC]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240721021028/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo|archive-date=21 July 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.newarab.com/news/rights-groups-hail-icj-ruling-israel-occupation-palestine|title=Rights groups hail 'historic' ICJ ruling on Israel's occupation of Palestine|date=20 July 2024|work=[[The New Arab]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241012203442/https://www.newarab.com/news/rights-groups-hail-icj-ruling-israel-occupation-palestine|archive-date=12 October 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/19/world-court-says-israels-settlement-policies-breach-international-law|title=ICJ says Israel's presence in Palestinian territory is unlawful|date=19 July 2024|work=[[Al Jazeera]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240719161108/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/19/world-court-says-israels-settlement-policies-breach-international-law|archive-date=19 July 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1152296|title=Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territory 'unlawful': UN world court|date=19 July 2024|work=[[United Nations]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240808072541/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/07/1152296|archive-date=8 August 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}
*{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/19/middleeast/israel-west-bank-jerusalem-occupation-icj-opinion-intl/index.html|title=Top UN court says Israeli occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal|last1=Ebrahim|first1=Nadeen|last2=McCluskey|first2=Mitchell|date=19 July 2024|work=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241012204147/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/19/middleeast/israel-west-bank-jerusalem-occupation-icj-opinion-intl/index.html|archive-date=12 October 2024|url-status=live|access-date=12 October 2024}}</ref>

Yuval Shany, along with law professors Amichai Cohen and [[Marko Milanović (professor)|Marko Milanović]], argued that the court stopped short of declaring Gaza to be under occupation, but instead declared that Israel maintained certain obligations under the law of occupation. They noted the opinions of judges [[Yuji Iwasawa]] and [[Sarah Cleveland]] in particular. Judge Iwasawa pointed out that while the court stated Israel is bound by some obligations related to occupation law, it didn't determine whether Gaza remained "occupied" within the meaning of the law of occupation after 2005. Judge Cleveland noted that the court observed that after Israel's withdrawal in 2005, it continued to exercise key elements of authority over the Gaza Strip. This included "control of the land, sea and air borders, restrictions on movement of people and goods, collection of import and export taxes, and military control over the buffer zone." As a result, the court concluded that certain aspects of the law of occupation still applied to Gaza, based on Israel's level of effective control. However, it did not specify which obligations still bound Israel after 2005, nor did it find any violations of those obligations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-occupation-of-gaza-in-the-icj-palestine-advisory-opinion/ |title=The Occupation of Gaza in the ICJ Palestine Advisory Opinion |date=23 July 2024 |access-date=12 October 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910212347/https://www.ejiltalk.org/the-occupation-of-gaza-in-the-icj-palestine-advisory-opinion/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/another-brick-in-the-wall--the-icj-advisory-opinion-on-israeli-policies-and-practices-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory |title=Another Brick in the Wall? The ICJ Advisory Opinion on Israeli Policies and Practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory |work=Lawfare |date=24 July 2024 |access-date=12 October 2024 |archive-date=30 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830152424/https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/another-brick-in-the-wall--the-icj-advisory-opinion-on-israeli-policies-and-practices-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory |url-status=live |last1=Shany |first1=Yuval |last2=Cohen |first2=Amichai }}</ref>

Aeyal Gross, a Professor of International and Constitutional Law at [[Tel Aviv University]], wrote that the court had adopted his "functional approach" theory to occupation, which argues that a territory may be occupied but not in an "all or nothing" way, as following the disengagement Israel exercised no policing functions in Gaza and Hamas gained extensive control over the territory, but continued Israeli control over certain functions significantly impacted the local population. Gross' functional approach theory argues that rather than an occupier automatically having all the responsibilities associated with military occupation, the occupying power's responsibilities are commeasurate with the level of control it exercises. Likewise, he argued that despite arguments stating that Israel had no right of self-defense against a territory it occupies, an armed attack from Gaza under this theory could potentially trigger an Israeli right of self-defense subject to the limits on this right and on the ways force is used under international law.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://verfassungsblog.de/the-functional-approach-as-lex-lata/|title=The Functional Approach as Lex Lata|first=Aeyal|last=Gross|date=12 October 2024|journal=Verfassungsblog|via=verfassungsblog.de|doi=10.59704/133f2ff82e19d7f9|access-date=12 October 2024|archive-date=1 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201023503/https://verfassungsblog.de/the-functional-approach-as-lex-lata/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Characterization as open-air prison====
Several rights groups have characterized the situation in Gaza as an "open-air prison",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/palestinians-in-lebanon-ready-to-fight-israel-if-hezbollah-helps-them |title=Palestinians in Lebanon ready to fight Israel, if Hezbollah helps them |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=9 October 2023 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009161501/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/9/palestinians-in-lebanon-ready-to-fight-israel-if-hezbollah-helps-them |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="open-air prison">Multiple sources:
* [[Jonathan Cook]], [http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/how-israel-is-turning-gaza-into-a-super-max-prison 'How Israel is turning Gaza into a super-max prison,'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220012330/http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/how-israel-is-turning-gaza-into-a-super-max-prison |date=20 December 2014 }} [[The National (Abu Dhabi)]] 27 October 2014: 'One Israeli analyst has compared the proposed solution to transforming a third-world prison into a modern US super-max incarceration facility.'
* [http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/12635-noam-chomsky-my-visit-to-gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison ''Noam Chomsky: My Visit to Gaza, the World's Largest Open-Air Prison''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024235819/http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/12635-noam-chomsky-my-visit-to-gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison |date=24 October 2015 }}. Truthout, 9 November 2012: 'And it hardly takes more than a day in Gaza to appreciate what it must be like to try to survive in the world's largest open-air prison,'
* [[David Cameron]], [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/world/middleeast/havens-are-few-if-not-far-for-palestinians-in-gaza-strip-seeking-refugee-status.html ''Havens Are Few, if Not Far, for Palestinians in Gaza Strip''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708035445/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/world/middleeast/havens-are-few-if-not-far-for-palestinians-in-gaza-strip-seeking-refugee-status.html |date=8 July 2017 }}. NYT, 20 July 2014: "Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain in 2010 called Gaza "an open-air prison", drawing criticism from Israel."
* Alistair Dawber, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tales-from-gaza-what-is-life-really-like-in-the-worlds-largest-outdoor-prison-8567611.html 'Tales from Gaza: What is life really like in 'the world's largest outdoor prison'?'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813080736/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tales-from-gaza-what-is-life-really-like-in-the-worlds-largest-outdoor-prison-8567611.html |date=13 August 2017 }} [[The Independent]] 13 April 2013.'Locals call it "the world's biggest prison", and it's not difficult to understand why...Mr Jnead's children, and their prospects in what is often referred to as the world's largest open prison, is top of his concerns.'
* Zaki Chehab, [https://books.google.com/books?id=V-8BAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT194 ''Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102100700/https://books.google.com/books?id=V-8BAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT194 |date=2 November 2022 }} I.B.Tauris, 2007 p.182:'The Rafiah crossing is the gateway to what Palestinians refer to as their open-air prison – the Gaza Strip.'
* Anna Ball, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NX3aAAAAQBAJ 'Impossible Intimacies,'] in Anastasia Valassopoulos (ed.) ''Arab Cultural Studies: History, Politics and the Popular,'' Routledge 2013 pp71-91 p.73: "...Gaza Strip Barrier, a structure that has sealed Gaza's border with Israel and has led to Gaza's description as ″the world's largest open-air prison",</ref> including the [[United Nations]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Tétrault-Farber |first=Gabrielle |date=2023-07-11 |editor-last=Maclean |editor-first=William |title=Israel occupation makes Palestinian territories 'open-air prison', UN expert says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-occupation-makes-palestinian-territories-open-air-prison-un-expert-2023-07-11/ |access-date=12 October 2023 |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104141357/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-occupation-makes-palestinian-territories-open-air-prison-un-expert-2023-07-11/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]],<ref name="HRW111">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/14/gaza-israels-open-air-prison-15|title=Gaza: Israel's 'Open-Air Prison' at 15|date=12 October 2023|access-date=12 October 2023|work=Human Rights Watch|archive-date=12 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012000721/https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/14/gaza-israels-open-air-prison-15|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Norwegian Refugee Council]].<ref name="NRC111">{{cite web|url=https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/april/gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison/|title=Gaza: The world's largest open-air prison|work=Norwegian Refugee Council|date=26 April 2018|access-date=12 October 2023|archive-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011184025/https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/april/gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison/|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]].<ref>
*{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/hell-earth-israel-unrest-spotlights-dire-conditions-gaza/story?id=103829699|title='Hell on earth': Israel unrest spotlights dire conditions in Gaza|work=abcnews|date=9 October 2023|access-date=12 October 2023|archive-date=12 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012044104/https://abcnews.go.com/International/hell-earth-israel-unrest-spotlights-dire-conditions-gaza/story?id=103829699|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907912/israel-palestine-conflict-history-explained-gaza-hamas|title=This Gaza war didn't come out of nowhere|work=Vox|date=7 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=13 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013001255/https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907912/israel-palestine-conflict-history-explained-gaza-hamas|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/12/palestinians-can-t-just-leave-gaza-during-israel-hamas-conflict/21fa3714-68b8-11ee-9753-2b3742e96987_story.html|title=No, Palestinians Can't Just Leave Gaza|newspaper=Washington Post|date=12 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=7 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307223644/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/12/palestinians-can-t-just-leave-gaza-during-israel-hamas-conflict/21fa3714-68b8-11ee-9753-2b3742e96987_story.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/11/what-is-gaza-strip-the-besieged-palestinian-enclave-under-israeli-assault|title=What is Gaza Strip, the besieged Palestinian enclave under Israeli assault?|work=Al Jazeera|date=12 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=12 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012232725/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/11/what-is-gaza-strip-the-besieged-palestinian-enclave-under-israeli-assault|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/05/26/gaza-no-exit-wedeman-pkg-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn|title=Analyst: Gaza becomes the biggest open-air prison on earth|work=CNN|date=12 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=14 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014022308/https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/05/26/gaza-no-exit-wedeman-pkg-intl-hnk-vpx.cnn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TI111">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/who-lives-in-gaza-strip-control-history-map-b2429107.html|title=Gaza under siege: The 25-mile-long strip with 2.3 million 'prisoners'|work=The Independent|date=13 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=13 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013202320/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/who-lives-in-gaza-strip-control-history-map-b2429107.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Former British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-10778110|title=David Cameron describes blockaded Gaza as a 'prison'|work=BBC|date=27 July 2010|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=13 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013202821/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-10778110|url-status=live}}</ref> US Senator [[Bernie Sanders]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/sanders-gaza-is-open-air-prison-israel-violating-international-law-2023-10|title=Bernie Sanders says Israel is violating international law with blockade on 'open-air prison' in Gaza|work=Business Insider|date=11 October 2023|access-date=13 October 2023|archive-date=12 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012190735/https://www.businessinsider.com/sanders-gaza-is-open-air-prison-israel-violating-international-law-2023-10|url-status=live}}</ref> Israeli journalist [[Gideon Levy]],<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tupOEAAAQBAJ |title=The Punishment of Gaza |author=Gideon Levy |publisher=Verso Books |year=2010 |isbn=9781844676019 |access-date=30 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030070056/https://books.google.com/books?id=tupOEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Israeli historian [[Ilan Pappe]] have endorsed this characterization as well.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aDA1GQAACAAJ |title=The Biggest Prison on Earth |author=Ilan Pappe |publisher=One WorldPublications Books |year=2017 |isbn=9781851685875 |access-date=30 October 2023 |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030070057/https://books.google.com/books?id=aDA1GQAACAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 of the Gaza Strip|blockade]] and held Israel responsible as the occupying power, and to a lesser degree Egypt, which has restricted movement of Palestinians through its border.<ref name="HRW111"/> The report highlighted how this blockade has led to humanitarian crises, namely shortages of essential supplies, limited access to healthcare, and high levels of poverty and unemployment among the Palestinian population in Gaza.<ref name="HRW111"/> It claimed that Israel has formed a formal policy of separation between Gaza and the West Bank, despite both forming parts of the [[Palestinian territories]].<ref name="HRW111"/> The Israeli blockade on Gaza has restricted the freedom of movement of Gaza Palestinians to both the West Bank and the outside world; in particular, Palestinian professionals were most impacted by these restrictions, as applying for travel permit takes several weeks.<ref name="HRW111"/>

The Norwegian Refugee Council report issued in 2018 called the territory "the world's largest open-air prison", highlighting in it several figures, including lack of access to clean water, to reliable electrical supply, to health care, food and employment opportunities.<ref name="NRC111"/> It lamented the fact that a majority of Palestinian children in Gaza suffer from psychological trauma, and a portion of which suffer from stunted growth.<ref name="NRC111"/>

===Statehood===
Some Israeli analysts have argued that the Gaza Strip can be considered a ''[[de facto]]'' state, even if not internationally recognized as such. Israeli Major General [[Giora Eiland]], who headed Israel's [[National Security Council (Israel)|National Security Council]], has argued that after the disengagement and Hamas takeover, the Gaza Strip became a de facto state for all intents and purposes, writing that "It has clear borders, an effective government, an independent foreign policy and an army. These are the exact characteristics of a state."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5275535,00.html |title=Needed: A different Gaza strategy |date=6 February 2018 |website=Ynetnews |last1=Eiland |first1=Giora |access-date=23 September 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924034952/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5275535,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Yagil Levy, a professor of Political Sociology and Public Policy at the [[Open University of Israel]], wrote in a ''[[Haaretz]]'' column that "Gaza is a state in every respect, at least as social scientists understand the term. It has a central government with an army that's subordinate to it and that protects a population living in a defined territory. Nevertheless, Gaza is a castrated state. Israel and Egypt control its borders. The Palestinian Authority pays for the salaries of some of its civil servants. And the army doesn't have a monopoly on armed force, because there are independent militias operating alongside it."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-strengthen-the-state-of-gaza-1.6358839|title=Opinion {{!}} Strengthen the State of Gaza|first=Yagil|last=Levy|date=7 August 2018|work=[[Haaretz]]|access-date=23 September 2018|archive-date=24 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924033719/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-strengthen-the-state-of-gaza-1.6358839|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Moshe Arens]], a former Israeli diplomat who served as Foreign Minister and Defense Minister, likewise wrote that Gaza is a state as "it has a government, an army, a police force and courts that dispense justice of sorts."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-gaza-a-failed-palestinian-state-1.5488422 |title=Opinion {{!}} Gaza, a Failed Palestinian State |first=Moshe |last=Arens |date=26 June 2017 |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=23 September 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924033801/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-gaza-a-failed-palestinian-state-1.5488422 |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2018, Israeli Justice Minister [[Ayelet Shaked]] asserted that Gaza is an independent state, stating that Palestinians "already have a state" in Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/shaked-touts-confederation-of-jordan-gaza-and-parts-of-west-bank/ |title=Shaked touts 'confederation' of Jordan, Gaza, and parts of West Bank |first=Raphael |last=Ahren |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |access-date=29 November 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129162207/https://www.timesofisrael.com/shaked-touts-confederation-of-jordan-gaza-and-parts-of-west-bank/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Geoffrey Aronson]] has likewise argued that the Gaza Strip can be considered a [[proto-state]] with some aspects of sovereignty, writing that "a proto-state already exists in the Gaza Strip, with objective attributes of sovereignty the Ramallah-based Mahmoud Abbas can only dream about. Gaza is a single, contiguous territory with de facto borders, recognised, if not always respected, by friend and foe alike. There are no permanently stationed foreign occupiers and, most importantly, no civilian Israeli settlements."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/era-sovereignty-gaza-150504054233875.html |title=A new era of sovereignty in Gaza - Gaza: After the war |work=[[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=6 October 2018 |archive-date=3 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203043243/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/05/era-sovereignty-gaza-150504054233875.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Writing in ''[[Newsweek]]'', journalist Marc Schulman referred to Gaza as "an impoverished proto-state that lives off aid."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-tragedy-palestinians-502021 |title=Tel Aviv Diary: The tragedy of the Palestinians |first1=Marc |last1=Schulman |date=23 September 2016 |work=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=26 November 2018 |archive-date=27 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127131437/https://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-tragedy-palestinians-502021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Control over airspace===
[[File:20140805 beit hanun7.jpg|thumb|[[Beit Hanoun]] region of Gaza in August 2014, after Israeli bombardments]]
As agreed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the [[Oslo Accords]], Israel has exclusive control over the airspace. Contrarily to the Oslo Accords, however, Israel interferes with Gaza's radio and TV transmissions, and Israel prevents the Palestinians from operating a seaport or airport.<ref name="auto2" /> The Accords permitted Palestinians to construct an airport, which was duly built and opened in 1998. Israel destroyed Gaza's only airport in 2001 and again in 2002, during the [[Second Intifada]].<ref name=msnbc_fly_again/><ref name=bbc2005/>

The Israeli army makes use of [[Unmanned combat aerial vehicle|drones]], which can launch precise missiles. They are equipped with high-resolution cameras and other sensors. The missile fired from a drone has its own cameras that allow the operator to observe the target from the moment of firing. After a missile has been launched, the drone operator can remotely divert it elsewhere. Drone operators can view objects on the ground in detail during both day and night.<ref name=precisely_wrong>[https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/06/30/precisely-wrong/gaza-civilians-killed-israeli-drone-launched-missiles ''Precisely Wrong—Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104182855/https://www.hrw.org/report/2009/06/30/precisely-wrong/gaza-civilians-killed-israeli-drone-launched-missiles |date=4 November 2015 }}. Human Rights Watch, 30 June 2009</ref> Israeli drones routinely patrol over Gaza, and engage in missile strikes which reportedly kill more civilians than militants; the drones also produce a buzzing noise audible from the ground which Palestinians in Gaza refer to as ''[[zanana]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Jonathan |date=28 November 2013 |title=Gaza: Life and death under Israel's drones |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/11/28/gaza-life-and-death-under-israels-drones |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104101320/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/11/28/gaza-life-and-death-under-israels-drones |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.rosalux.de/fileadmin/rls_uploads/pdfs/sonst_publikationen/Sleepless-in-Gaza-by-Atef-Abu-Saif-RLS-Palestine.pdf |title=Sleepless in Gaza: Israeli drone war on the Gaza Strip |last=Abu Saif |first=Atef |date=March 2014 |publisher=[[Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung]] Regional Office Palestine |access-date=4 January 2024 |archive-date=3 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203182432/https://www.rosalux.de/fileadmin/rls_uploads/pdfs/sonst_publikationen/Sleepless-in-Gaza-by-Atef-Abu-Saif-RLS-Palestine.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Rp|page=6}}

===Buffer zone===
Part of the territory is depopulated because of the imposition of buffer zones on both the Israeli and Egyptian borders.<ref name=bbc_hard_times>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11721118 ''Hard times drive Gazans into perilous ′buffer zone′''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624140117/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11721118 |date=24 June 2017 }}. BBC, 10 November 2010</ref><ref name=pchr_enforced_live_fire>[http://www.imemc.org/article/71548 ''PCHR-Gaza: Israeli Buffer Zone Policies Typically Enforced with Live Fire''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017193835/http://www.imemc.org/article/71548 |date=17 October 2015 }}. PCHR, 11 May 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=765776 ''Israeli forces release 5 detained fishermen in Gaza''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120084302/http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=765776 |date=20 November 2015 }}. Ma'an, 4 June 2015</ref>

Initially, Israel imposed a 50-meter buffer zone in Gaza.<ref name=imemc_2011-04-05>[http://www.imemc.org/article/61003 ''Palestinian Killed in Gaza Buffer Zone''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101014608/http://www.imemc.org/article/61003 |date=1 January 2016 }}. IMEMC, 5 April 2011</ref> In 2000, it was expanded to 150 meters.<ref name=pchr_enforced_live_fire/> Following the 2005 [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza]], an undefined buffer zone was maintained, including a no-fishing zone along the coast. The ultimate effect of the enforcement of the no-fishing zone was that the fishing industry in Gaza "virtually ceased."<ref>Roy, S. M. (2016). The Gaza Strip: The political economy of de-development, expanded third edition. United States: Institute for Palestine Studies p. l</ref>

In 2009/2010, Israel expanded the buffer zone to 300 meters.<ref name=ocha_factsheet_july_2015/><ref name=imemc_2011-04-05/><ref>[http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=255137 Peaceful march reaches Gaza buffer zone] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120081557/http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=255137 |date=20 November 2015 }}. Ma'an News Agency, 18 January 2010</ref> The Israeli military stated that this buffer zone extended to 300 meters from the security fence, although UN bodies and other organizations operating in the region reported that the area extended at least a kilometer from the security fence before 2012. The buffer zone before the implementation of the [[2012 Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip#Ceasefire|ceasefire that followed the 2012 clashes]] accounted to 14% of the whole territory of the Strip and contained 30–55% of its total [[arable land]]. A 2012 UN report estimated that 75,000 metric tons of potential produce were lost per year as a result of the buffer zone, amounting to US$50.2&nbsp;million per year.<ref>Roy, S. M. (2016). The Gaza Strip: The political economy of de-development, expanded third edition. United States: Institute for Palestine Studies p. xlix</ref> The [[Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre|IDMC]] estimated in 2014 that 12% of the population of Gaza was directly affected by the land and sea restrictions due to the buffer zone.<ref>IDMC, Access Restricted Areas in the Gaza Strip, p. 1.</ref><ref name=bbc_hard_times/><ref name=imemc_2011-04-05/>

On 25 February 2013, pursuant to a November 2012 ceasefire, Israel declared a buffer zone of 100 meters on land and 6 nautical miles offshore. In the following month, the zone was changed to 300 meters and 3 nautical miles. The 1994 [[Gaza Jericho Agreement]] allows 20&nbsp;nautical miles, and the 2002 Bertini Commitment allows 12&nbsp;nautical miles.<ref name=ocha_factsheet_july_2015/><ref name=pchr_enforced_live_fire/>

In August 2015, the IDF confirmed a buffer zone of 300 meters for residents and 100 meters for farmers, but without explaining how to distinguish between the two.<ref name=gisha_idf_spokesman>[http://gisha.org/legal/4577 IDF spokesman provides contradictory answers regarding the width of the "no-go zone" which residents of the Gaza Strip are prohibited from entering] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002014109/http://gisha.org/legal/4577 |date=2 October 2015 }}. Gisha, August 2015</ref> {{As of|2015}}, on a third of Gaza's agricultural land, residents risk Israeli attacks. According to [[Palestinian Centre for Human Rights|PCHR]], Israeli attacks take place up to approximately {{cvt|1.5|km|1}} from the border, making 17% of Gaza's total territory a risk zone.<ref name=pchr_enforced_live_fire/>

Israel says the buffer zone is needed to protect Israeli communities just over the border from sniper fire and rocket attacks. In the 18 months until November 2010, one Thai farm worker in Israel was killed by a rocket fired from Gaza. In 2010, according to IDF figures, 180 rockets and mortars had been fired into Israel by militants. In 6 months, 11 Palestinians civilians, including four children, had been killed by Israeli fire and at least 70 Palestinian civilians were injured in the same period, including at least 49 who were working collecting rubble and scrap metal.<ref name=bbc_hard_times/>

[[Egypt–Gaza border#Buffer zone by Egypt|A buffer zone]] was also created on the Egyptian side of the Gaza–Egypt border. In 2014, scores of homes in [[Rafah, Egypt|Rafah]] were destroyed for the buffer zone.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/22/look-another-homeland/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah ''"Look for Another Homeland"''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205100025/https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/09/22/look-another-homeland/forced-evictions-egypts-rafah |date=5 December 2021 }}. Human Rights Watch, September 2015</ref> According to Amnesty International, more than 800 homes were destroyed and more than 1,000 families evicted.<ref name=haaretz_abbas/> Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas agreed with the destruction of [[Gaza Strip smuggling tunnel#Measures taken by Egypt|smuggling tunnels]] by flooding them, and then punishing the owners of the houses that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their houses, arguing that the tunnels had produced 1,800&nbsp;millionaires, and were used for smuggling weapons, drugs, cash, and equipment for forging documents.<ref name=haaretz_abbas>[https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium-1.629397 ''Abbas: Egypt Right to Create Buffer Zone on Gaza Border''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820105818/https://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/.premium-1.629397 |date=20 August 2015 }}. Jack Khoury, Haaretz, 1 December 2014 (premium). ″Abbas believed the destruction of the tunnels was the best solution. The Palestinian president said he had recommended previously the sealing or destruction of the tunnels by flooding them and then punishing the owners of the homes that contained entrances to the tunnels, including demolishing their homes.″</ref>

===Gaza blockade===
{{Main|Blockade of the Gaza Strip}}
Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade of the Gaza Strip in response to security concerns, such as the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Israel has also stated that the blockade serves as "economic warfare".<ref name="Sara M. Roy"/> The Israeli human rights organization [[Gisha (human rights organization)|Gisha]] reports that the blockade undermines basic living conditions and human rights in Gaza.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gisha |title=Gaza Up Close |url=https://features.gisha.org/gaza-up-close/ |access-date=2024-01-18 |archive-date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201092015/https://features.gisha.org/gaza-up-close/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Red Cross has reported that the blockade harms the economy and causes a shortage of basic medicines and equipment such as painkillers and x-ray film.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096443.html |title=Red Cross: Israel trapping 1.5m Gazans in despair |date=29 June 2009 |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=29 June 2009 |archive-date=30 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630165052/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096443.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Israel describes the blockade as necessary to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza. Israel maintains that the blockade is legal and necessary to limit [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|Palestinian rocket attacks]] from the Gaza Strip on its cities and to prevent Hamas from obtaining other weapons,<ref name="middleeastmonitor2013">{{cite web |title=Israel tightens its blockade of Gaza for 'security reasons' |author=Samira Shackle |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/lifestyle/7813-israel-tightens-its-blockade-of-gaza-for-security-reasons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014153810/http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/lifestyle/7813-israel-tightens-its-blockade-of-gaza-for-security-reasons |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 October 2013 |work=[[Middle East Monitor]] |date=14 October 2013}}:'Yet critics point out that it is not just military supplies that cannot enter Gaza, but basic construction materials, medical supplies, and food stuffs. The issue came to international attention in 2010, when a flotilla of activists attempted to break the blockade and carry humanitarian aid into Gaza. Nine were killed when the Israeli navy entered the flotilla. The incident shone a spotlight onto the blockade of Gaza. At one stage, prohibited materials included coriander, ginger, nutmeg and newspapers. A relaxation of the rules in June 2009 meant that processed hummus was allowed in, but not hummus with extras such as pine nuts or mushrooms. One of the biggest issues has been building materials. The strict restrictions on goods going into Gaza meant that it was impossible to start reconstruction work; it was therefore impossible to repair shattered windows to keep out the winter rain.'</ref><ref name="idf100908">{{cite web |url=http://www.mag.idf.il/163-4314-en/patzar.aspx |title=Position paper on the naval blockade on Gaza |date=2010-09-08 |publisher=idf.il |access-date=28 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116231842/http://www.mag.idf.il/163-4314-en/patzar.aspx |archive-date=2012-01-16}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20131015054031/http://www.mag.idf.il/sip_storage//FILES/5/915.pdf Full version in Hebrew])</ref><ref>[https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/12/gaza-donors-un-should-press-israel-blockade ''Gaza: Donors, UN Should Press Israel on Blockade''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104210821/https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/12/gaza-donors-un-should-press-israel-blockade |date=4 January 2017 }}, Human Rights Watch, 12 October 2014.</ref> although the legality of the blockade has been challenged by multiple human rights organizations.<ref>(2011) Palmer Report Did Not Find Gaza Blockade Legal, Despite Media Headlines. Amnesty International USA. Retrieved from https://www.amnestyusa.org/updates/palmer-report-did-not-find-gaza-blockade-legal-despite-media-headlines {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209211239/https://www.amnestyusa.org/updates/palmer-report-did-not-find-gaza-blockade-legal-despite-media-headlines/ |date=9 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-21 |title=Gisha's response to Palmer Report |url=https://www.gisha.org/item.asp?lang_id=en&p_id=1405 |access-date=2024-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021060731/https://www.gisha.org/item.asp?lang_id=en&p_id=1405 |archive-date=21 October 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to director of the [[Shin Bet]], Hamas and [[Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine|Islamic Jihad]] had smuggled in over "5,000 rockets with ranges up to {{cvt|40|km|0|sp=us}}." Some of the rockets could reach as far as the [[Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?ID=178503 |title=Diskin: No aid crisis in Gaza |publisher=Jpost.com |date=15 June 2010 |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-date=26 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126130916/http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=178503 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Tent camp gaza strip april 2009.jpg|thumb|Tent camp, April 2009, after [[Gaza War (2008–09)|Operation Cast Lead]]]]Facing mounting international pressure, Egypt lessened the restrictions starting in June 2010, when the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza was partially opened by Egypt. Egypt's foreign ministry said that the crossing would remain open mainly for people, but not for supplies.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0602/Egypt-eases-own-Gaza-blockade-after-Israel-Freedom-Flotilla-raid Egypt eases own Gaza blockade after Israel Freedom Flotilla raid] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819114620/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0602/Egypt-eases-own-Gaza-blockade-after-Israel-Freedom-Flotilla-raid |date=19 August 2010 }}, Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2010 (page 2)</ref>

Israel also eased restrictions in June 2010 as a result of international pressure following the [[Gaza flotilla raid]] after which food shortages decreased.<ref name="Sara M. Roy2">{{cite book |author=Sara M. Roy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gXAqjgEACAAJ&pg=PA |title=The Gaza Strip |publisher=Institute for Palestine Studies USA, Incorporated |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-88728-321-5 |pages=xxxi |access-date=21 January 2024 |archive-date=11 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311045308/https://books.google.com/books?id=gXAqjgEACAAJ&pg=PA |url-status=live }}</ref> The World Bank reported in 2012 that access to Gaza remained highly restricted and exports to the West Bank and Israel from Gaza are prohibited.<ref>World Bank, Fiscal Crisis, Economic Prospects: The Imperative of Economic Cohesion in the Palestinian Territories—Economic Monitoring Report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (New York: 23 September 2012), pp. 11-12, online at https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWESTBANKGAZA/Resources/AHLCReportFinal.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518125427/http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWESTBANKGAZA/Resources/AHLCReportFinal.pdf |date=18 May 2019 }} .</ref> This ban on exports was not lifted until 2014.<ref>For the first time since the closure: A truckload of cucumbers left Gaza for sale in the West Bank - Gisha. (6 November 2014). Retrieved from https://gisha.org/en/for-the-first-time-since-the-closure-a-truckload-of-cucumbers-left-gaza-for-sale-in-the-west-bank {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104161608/https://gisha.org/en/for-the-first-time-since-the-closure-a-truckload-of-cucumbers-left-gaza-for-sale-in-the-west-bank/ |date=4 November 2023 }}</ref>

In January and February 2011, the [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] (UNOCHA) assessed measures taken to ease the blockade<ref name="ocha201103">{{cite web |title=Easing the blockade – Assessing the humanitarian impact on the population of the Gaza Strip |url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_special_easing_the_blockade_2011_03_english.pdf |publisher=UNITED NATIONS Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory |access-date=16 July 2011 |date=March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726062323/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_special_easing_the_blockade_2011_03_english.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2011}}</ref> and concluded that they were helpful but not sufficient to improve the lives of the local inhabitants.<ref name="ocha201103" /> UNOCHA called on Israel to reduce restrictions on exports and the [[Gaza imports|import]] of construction materials, and to lift the general ban on movement between Gaza and the West Bank via Israel.<ref name="ocha201103" /> According to [[The Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], the blockade resulted in a loss of over $17&nbsp;million in exports in 2006 from 2005 (roughly 3% of all Palestinian exports).<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Young |first=Elizabeth |date=23 March 2006 |title=Palestinian Economic Dependence on Israel |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/palestinian-economic-dependence-israel |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=[[The Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] |language=en |archive-date=13 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113040415/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/palestinian-economic-dependence-israel |url-status=live }}</ref> After Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned on 28 May 2011, Egypt permanently opened its border with Gaza to students, medical patients, and foreign passport holders.<ref name="ocha201103" /><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304066504576350681957475322 "Egypt Opens Gaza Border"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709191353/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304066504576350681957475322 |date=9 July 2017 }}, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 29 May 2011.</ref>
Following the [[2013 Egyptian coup d'état]], Egypt's military has destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels which are used for smuggling food, weapons, and other goods to Gaza.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/04/us-egypt-hamas-idUSBREA230F520140304 |title=Egypt bans Hamas activities in Egypt |work=Reuters |date=4 March 2014 |access-date=1 July 2017 |archive-date=25 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025194409/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/04/us-egypt-hamas-idUSBREA230F520140304 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After the [[August 2013 Rabaa Massacre]] in Egypt, the border crossing was closed 'indefinitely.'<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/08/2013815104352186552.html |title=Rafah crossing closed after Egypt violence – Middle East |publisher=Al Jazeera English |access-date=2014-08-10 |archive-date=19 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141119080010/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/08/2013815104352186552.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

While the import of food is restricted through the Gaza blockade, the Israeli military destroys agricultural crops by spraying toxic chemicals over the Gazan lands, using aircraft flying over the border zone. According to the IDF, the spraying is intended "to prevent the concealment of IED's [Improvised Explosive Devices], and to disrupt and prevent the use of the area for destructive purposes."<ref name= memo_destroying_crops>[https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/23117-israeli-military-admits-destroying-gaza-crops-on-border ''Israeli military admits destroying Gaza crops on border''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205121934/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/23117-israeli-military-admits-destroying-gaza-crops-on-border |date=5 February 2016 }}. MEMO, 31 December 2015</ref> Gaza's agricultural research and development station was destroyed in 2014 and again in January 2016, while import of new equipment is obstructed.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/israel-spraying-toxins-palestinian-crops-gaza-160114063046813.html ''Israel spraying toxins over Palestinian crops in Gaza''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119144440/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/israel-spraying-toxins-palestinian-crops-gaza-160114063046813.html |date=19 January 2016 }}. Belal Aldabbour, Al Jazeera, 19 January 2016</ref>

====Movement of people====
[[File:Egyptian Convoy to Gaza, Palestine.jpg|thumb|Rafah Border Crossing in 2012]]
Because of the Israeli–Egyptian blockade, the population is not free to leave or enter the Gaza Strip. Only in exceptional cases are people allowed to pass through the [[Erez Crossing]] or the [[Rafah Border Crossing]].<ref name=ocha_factsheet_july_2015>[http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_blockade_factsheet_July_2015_english.pdf ''The Gaza Strip: The Humanitarian Impact of the Blockade''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717234752/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_blockade_factsheet_july_2015_english.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703082308/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_blockade_factsheet_july_2015_english.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-03 |url-status=live |date=17 July 2015 }}. UN OCHA, July 2015. "1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza are 'locked in', denied free access to the remainder of the occupied Palestinian territory and the outside world." Available at [http://www.ochaopt.org/reports.aspx?id=103&page=1 ''Fact Sheets''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329054638/http://www.ochaopt.org/reports.aspx?id=103&page=1 |date=29 March 2016 }}.</ref><ref>
*[http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/gaza_crossings_operations_status_september%202015.pdf ''Gaza crossings’ operations status:Monthly update—September 2015''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028021327/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/gaza_crossings_operations_status_september%202015.pdf |date=28 October 2015 }}. UN OCHA. Available at [http://gaza.ochaopt.org/2015/09/gaza-crossings-operations-status-monthly-update-july-2015/ ''Gaza Crossings’ Operations Status: Monthly Update''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016210132/http://gaza.ochaopt.org/2015/09/gaza-crossings-operations-status-monthly-update-july-2015/ |date=16 October 2015 }}
*[http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.659942 ''Open Gaza's crossings—Keeping Gazans locked in the crowded Strip is immoral and strategically unwise''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029171529/http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.659942 |date=29 October 2015 }}. Jack Khoury and Reuters, Haaretz, 28 May 2015
*[http://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files2/201401_'so_near_and_yet_so_far_eng.pdf ''So near and yet so far—Implications of Israeli‐Imposed Seclusion of Gaza Strip on Palestinians’ Right to Family Life'']{{dead link |date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Hamoked and B'Tselem, January 2014. [http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201401_so_near_and_yet_so_far Here available] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031114337/http://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201401_so_near_and_yet_so_far |date=31 October 2015 }}</ref> In 2015, a Gazan woman was not allowed to travel through Israel to Jordan on her way to her own wedding. The Israeli authorities found she did not meet the criteria for travel, namely only in exceptional humanitarian cases.<ref>[http://gisha.org/press/4726 ''Gisha to the High Court: Allow a woman from Gaza to attend her own wedding''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306015101/http://gisha.org/press/4726 |date=6 March 2016 }}. Gisha, 18 November 2015</ref>

Under the long-term blockade, the Gaza Strip is often described as a "prison-camp or open air prison for its collective denizens". The comparison is done by observers, ranging from [[Roger Cohen]] and [[Lawrence Weschler]] to NGOs, such as [[B'tselem]], and politicians and diplomats, such as [[David Cameron]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], [[David Shoebridge]] and [[John Holmes (British diplomat)|Sir John Holmes]].<ref>
*{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/opinion/sunday/roger-cohen-what-will-israel-become.html |title=What Will Israel Become? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708030956/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/opinion/sunday/roger-cohen-what-will-israel-become.html |archive-date=8 July 2017 |work=The New York Times |date=20 December 2014 |quote=Roger Cohen: "The 140-square-mile area is little better than an open-air prison. As incubators for [[violent extremism]] go, it is hard to imagine a more effective setting than Gaza."}}
*[http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/12635-noam-chomsky-my-visit-to-gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison '' My Visit to Gaza, the World's Largest Open-Air Prison''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024235819/http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/12635-noam-chomsky-my-visit-to-gaza-the-worlds-largest-open-air-prison |date=24 October 2015 }}. Truthout, 9 November 2012. Noam Chomsky: 'And it hardly takes more than a day in Gaza to appreciate what it must be like to try to survive in the world's largest open-air prison,'
*[http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/israel_has_been_bitten_by_a_bat_20140718 'Israel Has Been Bitten by a Bat,'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403071846/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/israel_has_been_bitten_by_a_bat_20140718 |date=3 April 2015 }} [[Truthdig]] 18 July 2014. Lawrence Weschler:'I'm tired, for example, of hearing about how vital and cosmopolitan and democratic are the streets and cafes and nightclubs of Tel Aviv. For the fact is that one simply can't sustain such cosmopolitan vitality 40 miles from a prison camp containing close to two million people: It's a contradiction in terms.'
*[http://www.btselem.org/download/200705_gaza_insert_eng.pdf ' Gaza:One Big Prison,'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829212751/http://www.btselem.org/download/200705_gaza_insert_eng.pdf |date=29 August 2014 }}. B'tselem,12 May 2007.
*[http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/gaza-is-open-air-prison-un-humanitarian-chief 'Gaza is 'open-air prison',?] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031023621/http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/gaza-is-open-air-prison-un-humanitarian-chief |date=31 October 2014 }}. The National (Abu Dhabi), 12 March 2010. The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes
*{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jul/27/david-cameron-gaza-prison-camp |title='David Cameron: Israeli blockade has turned Gaza Strip into a 'prison camp' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503110926/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jul/27/david-cameron-gaza-prison-camp |archive-date=3 May 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=27 July 2010 |last1=Watt |first1=Nicholas |last2=Sherwood |first2=Harrie |location=[[Ankara]] and [[Jerusalem]]}}
*{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3664532,00.html |title='Erdogan: Palestine an open-air prison,' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224223650/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3664532,00.html |archive-date=24 December 2014 |website=Ynet |date=31 January 2009 |quote=Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: "Palestine today is an open-air prison. Hamas, as much as they tried, could not change the situation. Just imagine, you imprison the speaker of a country as well as some ministers of its government and members of its parliament. And then you expect them to sit obediently?"}}
*{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/International/Australia-MPs-Gaza-is-worlds-largest-outdoor-jail |title=Australia MPs: Gaza is world's largest outdoor jail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108000626/http://www.jpost.com/International/Australia-MPs-Gaza-is-worlds-largest-outdoor-jail |archive-date=8 January 2015 |work=Jerusalem Post |date=15 March 2013 |last=Zieve |first=Tamara |quote="How could members, who wanted to get a balanced understanding of the issues facing Israel, Palestine and the Middle East, go to the other side of the planet and fail to visit Gaza, the world’s largest outdoor prison?" Shoebridge asked.}}</ref>
In 2014, French president [[François Hollande]] called for the demilitarization of Gaza and a lifting of the blockade, saying "Gaza must neither be an open prison nor a military base."<ref>[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4560957,00.html Hollande calls for demilitarization of Gaza] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101014608/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4560957,00.html |date=1 January 2016 }}. Ynet, 20 August 2014</ref>

An anonymous Israeli analyst has called it "Israel's [[Alcatraz]]".<ref>Alain Gresh, Dominique Vidal, [https://books.google.com/books?id=z6mAa4WubagC&pg=PA91 ''The New A-Z of the Middle East,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101202/https://books.google.com/books?id=z6mAa4WubagC&pg=PA91 |date=2 November 2022 }} 2nd ed. I.B.Tauris, 2004 p.91.</ref> While [[Lauren Booth]],<ref name="Raz2008">Noa Raz,[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3595097,00.html 'Blair sister-in-law: Gaza world's largest concentration camp,'] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318193203/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3595097,00.html |date=18 March 2015 }} Ynet, 11 September 2008, for Tony Blair's sister-in law, [[Lauren Booth]].</ref><ref name="Shlaifer2014">Ron Shlaifer, [https://books.google.com/books?id=eYqoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA203]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101204/https://books.google.com/books?id=eYqoBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA203|date=2 November 2022}} ''Psychological Warfare [in the Arab–Israeli Conflict,'' Palgrave Macmillan, 2014 p.203 – Lauren Booth's expression</ref> [[Philip Slater]],<ref name="Slater2011">Philip Slater, [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-slater/a-message-to-israel-time_b_155978.html ‘A Message to Israel: Time to Stop Playing the Victim Role] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024084228/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-slater/a-message-to-israel-time_b_155978.html |date=24 October 2017 }},’ Huffington Post, 25 May 2011:'Calling Hamas the 'aggressor' is undignified. The Gaza strip is little more than a large Israeli concentration camp, in which Palestinians are attacked at will, starved of food, fuel, energy—even deprived of hospital supplies. They cannot come and go freely, and have to build tunnels to smuggle in the necessities of life.'</ref> [[Giorgio Agamben]]<ref name="Jessica2013">Jessica Whyte, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wZXaAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 ''Catastrophe and Redemption: The Political Thought of Giorgio Agamben,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101202/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZXaAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |date=2 November 2022 }} SUNY Press, 2013 p.95.</ref> compare it to a [[concentration camp]]. For [[Robert S. Wistrich]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BfQoxsH9bbwC&pg=PA26 ''Holocaust Denial: The Politics of Perfidy,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101203/https://books.google.com/books?id=BfQoxsH9bbwC&pg=PA26 |date=2 November 2022 }} Walter de Gruyter, 2012 p.26</ref> and Philip Mendes,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Sh2vAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 ''Jews and the Left: The Rise and Fall of a Political Alliance,''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102101204/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sh2vAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 |date=2 November 2022 }} Palgrave Macmillan, 2014 p.91.</ref> such analogies are designed to offend Jews, while [[Philip Seib]] dismisses the comparison as absurd, and claims that it arises from sources like [[Al Jazeera]] and Arab leaders.{{sfn|Seib|2012|p=153}}

Israel restricts movement of Palestinian residents between the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has implemented a policy of allowing Palestinian movement from the West Bank to Gaza, but making it quite difficult for Gaza residents to move to the West Bank. Israel typically refuses to allow Gaza residents to leave for the West Bank, even when the Gaza resident is originally a West Bank resident. The Israeli human-rights organization [[Gisha (human rights organization)|Gisha]] has helped Gaza residents who had moved from the West Bank to Gaza return to the West Bank arguing that extremely pressing personal circumstances provide humanitarian grounds for relief.<ref>+972 Magazine, 30 June 2020 [https://www.972mag.com/gaza-movement-separation-policy/ "‘Gaza is a One-Way Ticket’: How Israel's Relocation Policy is Separating Palestinian Communities--Israel Is Systemically Routing Palestinian Movement in One Direction — from the West Bank to Gaza"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707063716/https://www.972mag.com/gaza-movement-separation-policy/ |date=7 July 2020 }}</ref>