The Israeli forces explain that lifting the closure will be a gradual process carried out over a few days. In the meantime, Palestinians continue to suffer. Water shortages have become a major problem in many villages. More than 200 villages suffer from a lack of sufficient water. Residents face grave danger when they leave their villages to gather water from outside sources.
Sick patients continue to suffer as well.
He was unable to reach the hospital for dialysis because of the closure. Hospitals and clinics are facing severe shortages of supplies. The proper delivery of important municipal services is threatened. Yesterday the Israeli army shot at a Palestinian fire truck that was attempting to put out a fire in a carpentry workshop in Gaza. The fire began when the Israelis threw bombs on Palestinian demonstrators.