Stories and reports from the occupied Palestinian territories

Olive harvest suffers under the blockade

2008-11-27T10:28:39Z

Oxfam's Mohammed Ali Abu Najela reports on the impact of Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip on the territory's olive oil industry. The agricultural sector in Gaza has been severely affected by the ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. Since the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in 2000, 112,000 olive trees have been destroyed in the Gaza Strip by the conflict and Israeli military incursions. Also, one third of agricultural land - thousands of dunums (1 dunum=.25 acre) along the border with Israel - has been inaccessible to Palestinian farmers since Israeli settlements were dismantled in 2005. Israel then carved out a security zone that included valuable Gazan farming land. Farmers have been killed and injured trying to access and cultivate these lands. When Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007 the Israeli government imposed a blockade on the occupied territory, which has remained in place for nearly 18 months. The agricultural sector and food security situation has deteriorated during that time. Many Gazan farmers are now unemployed and have succumbed to poverty, unable to export their crops and facing drastically decreased market trade. The availability of raw materials needed for farming fell sharply and the limited materials that are available have become very expensive. Olives from the Gaza Strip are considered to be amongst the highest quality worldwide. Throughout Gaza there are currently 107,000 productive olive trees and 60,000 more that are maturing. The productive trees give an annual yield of 1,450 tons of oil. The harvest provides seasonal employment for an estimated 25,000 workers. Although Gazan olive farmers are not greatly affected by the export ban, as their crop is primarily consumed locally, the sector has nonetheless been greatly damaged both by the blockade and in the years prior to 2007. Many farmers are prohibited from accessing their land, tens of thousands of trees have been destroyed by the conflict and Israeli military incursions, and now, many agricultural inputs are unavailable to farmers because of the blockade. The agricultural sector in Gaza is of special concern to Oxfam. Several projects have been carried out by Oxfam to support Gaza farmers. One of these projects is the 'Cash-for-Work Project', where local unemployed people are hired to pave agricultural roads for farmers to improve access to their fields and to markets. In a food security and livelihood voucher scheme project, Oxfam and local partner Ma'an buy fresh produce from poor farmers and distribute it to poor families. The Israeli government's blockade harms the agricultural sector because costs have increased and revenues from exports have been completely lost. Many of the 45,000 agricultural workers in Gaza are unable to make a living. Talal Ashour, a 55-year-old farmer living in Gaza City, has three sons and one daughter. The Israeli blockade has made life more difficult for him and his family because it prevents him from buying pesticide and fertiliser, and stops him from exporting his produce. It has also caused greater poverty and unemployment in Gaza, depressing the local market and making it harder for Talal and other farmers to sell their produce at home. In 2000, the Israeli army destroyed 70 of his olive trees costing him thousands of dollars. Talal still has 20 olive trees on four of the seven dunums he owns. These remaining trees provide the mainstay of his income. Talal is harvesting his olives. He plans to sell two tons for home use, and the other five tons will be made into olive oil. Talal works with another eight workers, four of them from his family and another four are hired for £3 per 10 working hours. Because the Israeli blockade has increased the price of available fertilisers and other inputs, and has impoverished many potential consumers, it will be much harder for Talal to sell his crop this year. "Olives mean everything to me, they mean life. Most of the olive trees are the same age as me and some trees are older than me. I remember when Israeli bulldozers uprooted my olive trees and destroyed my land. I was deeply sad - as if I lost my family. Since then we have been living in a very hard situation with low income that barely covers my family expenses. Now, with the Israeli blockade, the situation is getting more difficult as everything is very expensive and I am afraid that people won't be able to afford to buy olives because people in Gaza have no money," Talal said. Thousands of unemployed labourers are now working the olive harvest. Many of them used to hold jobs inside Israel and even run their own business. But due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, they have been left unemployed and impoverished. Working the olive harvest for 10 hours per day, much of it under the hot sun, requires tremendous reserves of energy to earn a mere £3. The luckiest workers will get work for 30 days, though 20 days is more usual. This equals a maximum of £90 for one month of this seasonal work. The smell of olive oil permeates the air around factories like this one in Middle Gaza. Total olive oil production in Gaza this year will be an estimated 1,500 metric tons according to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. Olive oil is in high demand as it is a key ingredient of the Palestinian diet, found in many household dishes like beans and humus. Overall, 20 per cent of the olive harvest is pressed for olive oil. Each ton of olives is worth £70. The Al Awda olive oil factory is one of the biggest factories in Gaza, running 24 hours a day for the one- month season. The factory, which employs 20 people, is affected by the Israeli blockade because necessary spare parts and lubricating oil are not available in the market. As a result the machines are working at 30 per cent of normal capacity. This season the Al Awda factory is expected to compress 10,000 tons of olives - half the pre-blockade volume. The factory normally presses West Bank olives as well; because of the blockade they could not enter the Gaza Strip this season. Raw materials needed to manufacture plastic cans to store oil are also in scarce supply because of the blockade. A year ago the pre-blockade price of a 20-litre plastic gallon container was £2. The price has doubled. When full, the 16 litre cans cost £100 compared with £70 before the blockade. Olives are set out in Gaza's market, but sales are slow. The price is £2 per kilo, the same as before the blockade, but people are buying less than previous years because of decreased purchasing power. In the past, people bought an average of 20-50 kilos of olives per family, much of which they store for future consumption. But today families are only buying an average of 5-15 kilos because of the high cost of living and the increasing rates of poverty and unemployment.

Israel's intensified blockade on Gaza causes cooking gas crisis

2008-11-25T12:18:38Z

Oxfam's Mohammed Ali Abu Najela reports from the Gaza Strip. Subia El Khalili is a 60-year-old grandmother who lives east of Gaza City with 11 family members. The family suffers severe poverty and relies on humanitarian aid. She is one of Oxfam's voucher scheme beneficiaries. Here, Subia cooks food provided by Oxfam and its local partner organisation, Ma'an, on a wood fire. She has no cooking gas because of the latest tightening of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. "My husband used to work as a carpenter but he has been unemployed for over a year and a half and our income is zero. We are mainly dependent on Oxfam's aid," she said. "We have five cooking gas canisters but all of them are empty. With cooking gas I used to cook for two hours, now its takes more than five hours for food to be ready, which makes me start cooking in very early in the morning." Salha Mqat lives with her two sons, two daughters and her sick husband in a very simple home with almost no furniture. Her husband suffers various health problems and is unemployed so Salha carries the burden of providing for her family. She is benefiting from Oxfam's voucher scheme project. Her children are excellent students but can no longer study at night because the family cannot afford candles to use during the regular electricity blackouts. "I cook using a wood fire; my kids are collecting wood and plastics to cook the food provided by Oxfam. I have been using fire for more than a year because even if there are is cooking gas available I have neither a gas canister nor the money to buy the gas." Salha said. Al Shifa hospital, one of the Gaza Strip's main hospitals, is close to running out of gas used for cooking food for patients and medical staff. The hospital's kitchen produces 1,500 - 2,000 meals every day, requiring 480 kg of cooking gas. The hospital expects to run out of cooking gas in a day or two. Dozens of Gaza's restaurants like this one, the most famous in Gaza city, have closed. The sign on the door reads: 'Closed because of the imposed blockade and [lack of] cooking gas,' Even falafel and humus restaurants in Gaza, which thousands of people patronise for a cheap, tasty meal, have closed indefinitely. The main flourmill in the Gaza Strip has shut down. People, unsure how long the current clamp down will last, are rushing to bakeries to stock up on bread. One patron, Abu Khalil, said "today we are queuing for bread, tomorrow we might stand the same way in a queue for the water, who knows!" The owner of Al Shanti bakery in Gaza City said that he has stored flour in his warehouse, but he has run out of cooking gas to run the ovens. He told me that in the coming few hours he would be forced to close his bakery. He needs 240 kg of cooking gas daily but there is no more available in the Gaza Strip because of the total closure that began earlier this month.

The impact of power cuts on Gaza's biggest hospital

2008-11-19T10:57:54Z

On Tuesday 18 November Mohammed Ali of Oxfam walked into Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, and headed for the emergency room to see how the escalation of the Israeli blockade has been affecting patients and their doctors. The power plant that supplies half the electricity needed in Gaza City, North and Middle Gaza, has been shut down since Thursday 13 November when it ran out of fuel. Long power cuts imposed by the Israeli government have meant that that, for over a week now, the hospital has only kept running by using diesel-fuelled generators. A one and a half year old girl is carried by her mother. She has as she had injured her arm in an accident. Her mother, Um Assma, says that her daughter's condition is stable but that she is in pain. "The hospital is one place which should not be affected by the blockade..., it will cause a health disaster, not only for my little daughter but also for the people who need urgent medical care," Um Assma said. This four and a half year old girl is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) room in critical condition following a car accident. She is being kept alive by electrical medical equipment that keeps her heart beating and maintains her breathing. "Her condition is very serious, and if the electricity cuts out, she might die in seconds. There are eight other people in the ICU who also need uninterrupted electricity," said Mohammed Abu Rahma, the head of ICU in Al Shifa hospital. "If the hospital's electricity fails all people in the ICU will die in five minutes," the doctor added. In the kidney dialysis department, there are 38 machines for cleaning blood; eight of them are completely out of order and in need off maintenance and spare-parts which have been needed for over 18 months, since the start of the Israeli blockade. Thirty machines operate non-stop for 15 hours every day. "The department is in dire need of another 10 kidney dialysis machines in order to end our crisis. The latest blackout and the under voltage electricity have caused severe damage to the machines," said Dr.Nafez Enayeem, the head of the department. Without the working machines, the people who depend on them to stay alive would die in less than 48 hours' he added. Um Osama, 55 years old, who is from the east of Gaza city, has kidney failure and gets her blood cleaned twice a week for 3-4 hours a day. Her husband is unemployed as is the rest of her family; her living conditions are very difficult. "My life depends on power and if the hospital loses the power, then I will die," Um Osama said sadly. Another vital department in the same hospital is the premature baby department, which cares for more than 28 babies a week. The department depends on electrical incubators for the newborns. In the hospital there are currently 27 babies in 26 incubators. The other three incubators the hospital has, as well as a ventilator, are out of order. This is due to a lack of spare parts, denied entry to Gaza because of the blockade. Dr. Hussain Ashour, the general director of Al Shifa medical compound told Oxfam that the hospital is deeply concerned by the latest escalation of the Israeli blockade. He said that the hospital is nearly out of the gas needed for preparing patients' food, laundry, and for the sterilization of medical equipment. A number of essential medical items such as cancer drugs and antibiotics are unavailable in the hospital. The hospital's main power generator is out of order and they are depending on the two back-up generators. If they break down it will be a crisis for the hospital which servers 480-450 patients on a daily basis. "The international community must act immediately to stop the escalation of the Israeli blockade because people's lives are in serious danger. Now the hospital has reserve fuel but for a few days only. I appeal to everyone who has a conscience to act and to end the blockade," said Dr. Hussain.

Power blackout in the Beach Refugee Camp, Gaza City

2008-11-17T09:59:18Z

Oxfam's Mohammed Ali Abu Najela reports from the Gaza Strip. Umm Ibrahim and her husband sit in their small grocery in Gaza's 'Beach' refugee camp after 13 hours of a power blackout. "There's been a power blackout since 6am and now it's 7pm. The power came back on only for 30 minutes and I rushed to make bread for my children, but before I was finished baking, the power cut again and the bread was ruined," Un Ibrahim said. The couple is expecting the situation to worsen. Israel closed the crossings most fuel, goods and humanitarian supplies into Gaza since the 5th of November. "If UN can't deliver food aid, people in Gaza will be even worse off. People have no money to buy food. The price of food has increased due to the closure because the there are limited quantities left in the market," her husband added. Mohammed Musalam, 39 years old, sits outside his home in the dark. A father of nine, he has been unemployed since the Israeli blockade started nearly 18 months ago. He is totally dependent on charity and assistance from aid agencies. "I wait day-by-day to get food supplies from the UN. These supplies mean life itself for me and my family. The latest Israeli closure is tightening our lives even more. I am sitting outside my dark home because I feel like I am suffocating from the way we are living. "The blockade does not only target Hamas, but it also targets my children's food, water, ability to study and now even the food aid we rely on from relief agencies," Mohammed said. "My mother is an old woman who suffers from many diseases and the only source of medicine for her is from the UN. If that stops, there will be no way for me to buy her the medicine she needs. Israel has turned me into a disabled person who cannot provide his own family with the basics that they need," he added "I have not been cooking with gas since the start of the blockade because of shortages, and I bought a small electric water heater. We have been using it for cooking. Now that we don't have electricity, I have been burning wood to cook for my children. In other words, the Israeli blockade is taking us back to a primitive age." One of the places affected by the Gaza blackout is Masoud Pharmacy in Gaza city. The owner of the pharmacy has been sitting by gaslight for hours. He explained that since the start of the Israeli blockade, business has decreased by more than 80 per cent, and more than 50 per cent of vital drugs are no longer available. "We already have a great deal of problems because of the Israeli blockade. You can imagine what it is like now without electricity too. People in Gaza are totally dependent on the free medical treatment and medicine provided by aid agencies. Even if UNRWA stopped their operation in Gaza due to the recent closure, people would not come and buy medicine here, simply because they don't have the money," the owner said. "All the drugs that need to be stored in a cold place would have expired by now because there is no electricity. I thought of buying a power generator but then how I would I find the petrol to generate it?" Abu Rami, a 40-year-old man who is the breadwinner for 22 people, sits in the dim light at Masoud Pharmacy. All 22 of his dependents live in his home: eight of his own children, his wife, his mother and father, and his dead brothers' children and their mothers. Abu Rami has come to the pharmacy to buy medicine for his sick mother on credit. He used to work inside Israel, but for over four years he has been unemployed, and he depends on the money that a brother sends them from abroad. It does not cover even the minimum basics for all 22 people. "The price of everything has tripled as compared to the time before the Israeli blockade began. It's no wonder the price of food has increased because of this latest closure. Our main problem is that we don't see an end to our suffering and hard life anytime soon."

Qalqiliya's quest for fairtrade olive oil - Sarah Eve Hammond Reports

2008-10-21T16:53:59Z

Olive producers are severely affected by the Israeli government's policies towards Palestinians; the confiscation of Palestinian land, the building of the Wall (a concrete wall, or fence in parts, erected by the Israeli government) and movement restrictions. Consequently, olive oil producers are unable to access their traditional markets in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israel, and Arab countries, hindering their ability to make a secure living. I am here today to meet Palestinian Olive farmers in the West Bank to find out more about olive oil production. "Look at this", says Haitham, holding a handful of green olives spotted with dark circles. "You see how the olive is affected by the olive fly. We won't use these olives for the oil, otherwise it would spoil the taste." Haitham walks through the olive grove belonging to Nitham, a Palestinian farmer from the village of Immatin in the West Bank. Around us, some 500 trees provide enough olives to help support his extended family. All revere olives in this part of the world. Pickled, baked in bread, pressed for oil or used to make soap, olives are a very noble product which thousands of families across the country rely on as their main source of income. Oxfam works with the Palestinian Farmer's Union (PFU) and the Bethlehem University Fairtrade Development Center (FTDC) to enhance the quality of olive oil of our partner co-operatives. All have also been working to obtain the very first Fairtrade accreditation for Palestinian olive oil. The project, funded by the European Commission, has just started and already there is much enthusiasm around it. "At first, we talk about the quality of the olive oil. We want to convince farmers they need to aim for higher quality," says Haitham, an agronomist working for Oxfam. "Since the olive trees require little human input and are a rain fed crop, we explain to farmers that with some small gestures they can really improve the quality of their harvest." To produce top quality extra virgin olive oil, every step of the process is important, from sorting the olives, to installing olive fly traps and pressing the olives immediately after picking. By following these simple tips and being committed, farmers are able to increase the quality of their olive oil production and obtain superior oil - which commands a better price. Slowly, the important concepts of fairtrade make their way into the co-operative. The first thing to be done in Immatin's co-operative was to make sure the olive oil is sold at a fair price and that farmers are protected from market fluctuations. For instance, the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation that delivers the fairtrade certifications has set the minimum selling price of one litre of extra virgin olive oil in the occupied Palestinian territory at £3. 50 members strong, the co-operative recently invested in buying a new olive press. "It's important to have the farmers participate financially," says Haitham. "If farmers invest their own money into buying this important piece of equipment, they are all likely to invest their time and energy into the project and make it a long-term success for the community." "The Palestinian quota for olive oil to the European Union is 2,000 tons per year and at the moment we can hardly export 500 tons," he continues. "People from across the world are discovering the taste and health benefits of olive oil and we need to be able to produce more. The market is there, waiting for us." As 2008 is an alternate bearing* year, the farmers of the Immatin co-operative should have a generous harvest of about 25 tons of olive oil. However, a severe episode of frost last spring and the recurrent drought are estimated to have diminished the production of the olive trees by 40 per cent, increasing the financial burden on farmers and highlighting the need for a sustainable olive production throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. Moreover, because water resources are controlled by the Israeli authorities and the lack of water harvesting cisterns, farmers are prevented from doing supplementary irrigation to their trees, which would mitigate the effects of the drought. But cultivating a parcel of land in the occupied Palestinian territory can prove a risky activity, as Nitham explains. "In 2002, some settlers started moving to a new [illegal] outpost on the land nearby mine. As I was starting to harvest the wheat I had planted in between my trees, the settlers beat me up and shot me in the leg. In the end, they gathered all the wheat, put it under the olive trees and set them on fire. Again, in July this year (2008) they burned 200 olive trees belonging to different farmers in the village. I lost another 50 trees." The farmers of Immatin are adamant that despite the risks and the hardships they sometimes face, the sole mention of the word olive is enough to make them feel proud of their work. "It's the Holy Land," one says. "My roots, the heritage of my forefathers" claims another one. But the last word lies with Abu Suleiman: "The olive tree is my soul!" * Alternate bearing: The tendency of fruit trees to bear fruit in 2-year cycles, consisting of large crops followed by little or no crop.

Something is missing in Jiftlik

2008-09-12T11:16:30Z

At first sight, Jiftlik is not very different from any other rural village in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Small houses made of concrete blocks hug the main road for a few kilometers. It bakes under the scorching sun that presses down on the Jordan Valley, one of the lowest places on earth. During summer, temperatures easily reach 40-50 degrees Celsius and winter can be harsh and cold. Agricultural fields surrounding the community bring a splash of colour to a sea of beige and grey. Tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, grapes, peppers and dates are the main crops cultivated here. In pictures: Improving water and sanitation in Jiftlik When examined more closely, Jiftlik stands out because it reflects, in a microcosm, all the problems rural communities have to deal with in the West Bank: Lack of water, electricity and basic services; tight restrictions imposed by the Israeli Civil Administration; harassment from settlers; and the inability to build any permanent infrastructure. Oxfam is working to address the endemic water shortages in Jiftlik. With the financial help of the European Union Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), Oxfam plans to build a water reservoir of 300 cubic meters connected to a four inch-pipe to increase the quantity of water and the pressure reaching the 800 households in the village. A fairly easy project to achieve one would think. But due to severe restrictions in Area C (which is under full Israeli control) new infrastructures cannot be built without a permit. The whole process is extremely slow and the outcome uncertain. Working without the required permit risks the eventual destruction of water installations. Each year, between 10-15 houses are demolished by Israeli authorities in Jiftlik. So far, Oxfam's efforts to secure a building permit for the reservoir have been unsuccessful, confronting a lengthy series of adminstrative steps in a cumbersome application process. Currently, the main source of water in this village is from the Israeli water supplier, Mekorot, which pumps water through two feeding points of a two-inch-wide pipeline. However, 60% of the 6,000 residents lack adequate water supply, especially those living on higher ground, as there is insufficient water pressure. Water coming from agricultural wells is too saline to be used for irrigation. As a result, water is tanked in from 20km away costing extra time, money and effort, and leading to frequent problems at checkpoints during transportation. Costs can vary seasonally. Since Jiftlik relies mainly on agriculture more water has to be bought to irrigate the crops. Some families reported spending 800-1000 shekels (USD $223-280) a month for their domestic and agricultural water supplies. Each household spends on average between 200 - 300 shekels (USD $56-84) per month for drinking water. High unemployment in the Jordan Valley (around 20%) in conjunction with low incomes, are leading to family debt-accumulation just to pay for water. Water needs are strictly prioritised: first for drinking, then for washing clothes, and finally, personal hygiene. "The water quality coming from the tankers is at times poor", says Alima, the head of the Jiftlik Women's Association. "It varies, but sometimes the smell and the colour are not right at all. In some cases it is enough to see what the truck looks like to understand why the water tastes so bad." In contrast, the much smaller Israeli settlement close to Jiftlik benefits from full infrastructure, such as pipes, reservoirs and agricultural irrigation systems. Moreover, Mekorot sells water at a cheaper price to settlement residents. As a result, the current consumption of water per capita in Israeli settlements is at least three to four times higher than in Palestinians communities. According to Oxfam's water assessment in Jiftlik, residents consume 33-41 litres per day. In comparison, North Americans consume 350 litres each per day, and Europeans consumes 200 litres. The head of the Village Council tells us that his village is profoundly affected by the lack of electricity and water: "Some families have left because of the lack of all services and the stress it creates for the family. They move to nearby villages where there is basic infrastructure and the life is easier." "You cross on one side of the road [settlements] and it looks like America, then you cross to the other side [Jiftlik] and it looks like Sudan!" There are many stories to be told about how the lack of water affects people's life. But no matter how hard you try to turn the story around and find a new angle, the main character of the story is always missing; water.

The women of Al Zarnouk

2008-08-18T16:44:58Z

Oxfam's Sarah-Eve Hammond reports from Al Zarnouk in the Negev-Naqab desert In the heart of the Negev-Naqab desert, a few kilometres from Beer Sheeva in Israel, the little village of Al Zarnouk is bathed in the morning light. The sun has not reached its full glory yet and already the Negev greets us with an oven-like dry heat that leaves the visitor wondering how people cope in this intense weather. About 80,000 Bedouins who live in this region are in unrecognised villages, which do not officially exist nor appear on official maps of Israel. As there is no right to establish local or municipal authorities to govern the villages, the Bedouins cannot vote or be elected for municipal representation, even though they are citizens of Israel. Villagers are deprived of basic infrastructure and services like roads, sewage, running water, and even electricity. Families mostly live in sheds under zinc roofs where the temperature can soar as high as 55 degrees Celsius during summer and drop close to zero in winter. Without a recognised authority to deliver building permits, houses in the unrecognised villages are unlicensed and under constant threat of demolition. We enter into a building that has no electricity. A few rays of sun enter through the open door and window. Inside, nine women take their seats behind tables facing the white board. The atmosphere is calm, the noise of the main road seems distant, muffled. Our entrance however, interrupts the lesson that is taking place. Immediately people busy themselves finding us a table, chair and a glass of water. We sit ourselves down in one of the premises of the small school for women in Al Zarnouk, home to a few thousand Bedouins. The women here get together twice a week to learn how to read, write and speak Hebrew. Two other groups are learning Arabic, since they never had a real chance to learn to read and write their own mother tongue. Fortunately for this group, most women already have a good understanding of Arabic. This is a class with a difference. Here, no bell is rung and no register is taken. Study is from eight till 12 and then back home it is to do the daily chores. This morning, Azhar, a lady with a piercing look outlined with kohl (dark eyeliner), has brought one of her children with her. The child is peacefully resting against his mother's chest. Further away, another member of the group cradles her youngest child. Oxfam, with the financial help of the European Commission, has been running literacy classes in the unrecognised village of Al Zarnouk with our local partner Sidreh for the last three years. Nine women are before me. I am impressed by their calmness, strength, by their intense looks and their beauty. I have not been given permission to take photos, so I try to immerse myself in their presence and their determination. Even with all the work that awaits them on return from their classes, the women want to learn more because at last "things are moving forward for the better here". Some ask for driving lessons, others for a playground for the children so that they can study for longer. There is so much to tell about their lives. Instability, unemployment, uncertainty. Over half of the men in Al Zarnouk are dependent on benefits to live and due to the impossibility of obtaining building permits, the threat of having their houses demolished is always present. Azhar, holds her son closer. Her deep blue eyes mist over when she tells that her house has already been destroyed twice. She smiles courageously. Mariam goes back to the subject of education to relax the atmosphere. "Now, we can go everywhere and reach places and services that up until recently we were so difficult to get to. I can now go to the doctor on my own and I can tell him what is wrong because I speak Hebrew. I no longer need my husband to translate for me, I have more freedom and of course more privacy!" It's a positive situation also for the children, as they are no longer the only ones studying Hebrew. Their mothers also have to sit down and do homework and the kids benefit from their help. Rayka, the teacher from Sidreh, goes to Al Zarnouk twice a week. "It is not always easy to motivate adults to learn", she says, "but fortunately, this mid-level group is motivated and easy to work with." Even with all the creatively and good will in the world Rayka has to sometimes cancel the class when in summer when their little school becomes an oven or gets too cold in winter. "In these moments," she continues, "it is too difficult to concentrate and we give up for a day!" As they laugh between them and joke about the slim chances they have of attending university, the women of Al Zarnouk are proud and inspiring. Strengthened by their newly gained knowledge, these women want to make the world understand the hardship of their existence. Sat down with them around cups of tea, in a hot and bare school, I am learning too.

One year on in Gaza; treating, planting, speaking out

2008-08-14T14:30:47Z

Oxfam's Sarah-Eve Hammond reports from Gaza Looking back at how intense the last two summers were on the political front in the Gaza Strip, 2008 feels much calmer. It's true, talks about a possible Israeli incursion in the Strip are causing lots of stress to the population. On the other hand, the recently agreed truce between Hamas and Israel is holding despite violations on both sides and has given renewed hope of a normal life to many. Since Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip a year ago and the decision by the government of Israel to blockade 1.5 million inhabitants in the tiny territory, normality is a word that has undergone several redefinitions. What is normality anyway? Is it pre-June 2007 living standards? Being able to find cooking gas to cook dinner or rummaging through the rubbish to find trash to burn? "Do more with less" seems to be the agreed motto. When Oxfam International sat down with four of its partners in Gaza to understand how their work had been affected by more than 12 months of blockade, their commitment to go on with the work emerged immediately. They wish to see the crossings open and the resumption of a normal life. Their perseverance and resilience is a lesson. Treating patients in Gaza Abdel Hadi Abu Kussa has been working with Oxfam partner the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) since its foundation in 1979 to supplement the decayed and inadequate health infrastructure caused by years of Israeli military occupation. Over the years he has witnessed how difficult the situation has become for the population of Gaza and especially since the beginning of the blockade. "With an increase in poverty and the lack of funding for government health activities, people come to us for their medical care", says Abu Kussa. "We've always charged very low fees for the services we provide and now all drugs are available for 2 NIS (£0.30) and, honestly, we give most of it away for free." With unemployment reaching almost 40 per cent in the Gaza Strip and 50 per cent of households living under the poverty line, very little money on the household budget is left for healthcare and in some cases for food. "Another worrying trend is the increasing number of anaemic pregnant women and children in Gaza," Abu Kussa explains. "We estimate that 70 per cent of the children in the communities we work with show symptoms of mild or severe anaemia." Planting seeds "Gazans cannot plan for anything and the ordinary people don't feel their future is in their hands anymore," says Fadi Al Hindi from Ma'an Development Center. For this organisation, the blockade has meant that their agricultural development work has shifted to emergency relief. "We can only do what our resources are allowing us to do. More money is needed to pay for fuel and materials that are getting more expensive, if available at all, and in the end it impacts on the limited number of beneficiaries we can now assist," says Fadi. Another partner, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), has also been facing serious problems importing the materials it needs to rehabilitate agricultural roads and delimit plots of land. With little inputs available in the Gaza Strip and ever-shrinking agricultural lands due to the expansion of the buffer zone near the concrete Wall that surrounds Gaza, farmers really need all the support they can get. "PARC buys goods from local farmers to redistribute to needy families," says Ahmad Sourani, Director of External relations in Gaza. "If farmers start selling their produce at a low price, more will eventually go out of business and leave their land uncultivated. Farmers must sell at a fair price, as it is essential for our food security." Speaking up against abuses As he sits down for the meeting, Jaber Wishah immediately agrees to have the interview made public, despite the fact that the situation is sometimes tense for him and his teams. Jaber works for the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR). "The reality of human rights abuses in Palestine needs to be told and this is what PCHR does, whoever the perpetrator is. We only seek to take care of the victims of abuses." "Addressing the difficult situation in Gaza needs to be done through the point of view of the population and it should consider the uncertainty Gazans live in and by all means attempt to give them hope", says Jaber. "Gazans need to know that next month they'll receive their salaries; that next week the schools will be open and safe; that tomorrow a just judgment will be issued if they go to the court." Oxfam International's partners are adamant that hopes in Gaza are still high to see the situation improve "but we need to convince politicians that the interests of the people should define politics and not the other way around", says Ahmad Sourani.

Video: Road to recovery?

2008-07-23T10:45:16Z

Despite violations on both sides, the truce between Hamas and Israel on 19 June is holding and has given renewed hope of a normal life to many. Yet, life will only return to normal for Gaza's inhabitants when the crossings between Gaza and Israel are opened and operating fully every day. And that still seems a long way off.

Video: No gas for cooking in Gaza

2008-06-02T10:42:21Z

The blockade of Gaza has cut cooking gas supplies to less than one day's worth a week for the last six weeks. It is hard for housewives to get gas for cooking because people are using cooking gas to run their cars since petrol and diesel supplies have been heavily restricted in Gaza.

Video: Life in Gaza - Dalal's story

2008-05-28T10:40:00Z

Dalal Abu Awad is a mother of seven, living in the Gaza Strip. She is one of the beneficiaries of Oxfam's water tank and hygiene kit distributions. In this video, she talks about the difference her new water tank has made.

Video: Water tank distribution in Gaza

2008-05-25T10:37:41Z

Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip has severely limited the amount of electricity and diesel available to power water pumps. 30 per cent of Gazans are only able to access water for a few hours a week. Oxfam has been providing water tanks to 3,000 families to help them cope with the water crisis.

Video: Fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip

2008-05-10T10:35:22Z

The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has led to severe fuel shortages across the territory. Petrol pump stations have been shut and there are few cars on the streets. Ordinary people have been worst affected, with students walking to school and university, and many doctors and teachers not able to turn up to work.

Video: No fish today in Gaza

2008-05-04T10:24:35Z

The Gazan fishing industry has been decimated in recent years due to restrictions on how far out to sea fishermen are allowed to sail. The recent fuel shortages have made life especially difficult. In this video fishermen talk about their lives and describe how they are coping.

Israeli siege bears strange fruit

2008-04-05T16:11:46Z

Alex Renton writes from Gaza Fadel Dardar stares with weary gloom at the wreck of his orange grove. "They used to bring us $3000 a year - just the trees in this one field. Now they're worth nothing, less than nothing." It's early spring in Gaza, but most of the 100 or so trees have lost their leaves - and the few that remain are brown and brittle. Bizarrely, hundreds of ripe oranges still hang on the branches, but just as many of the fruit are rotting in the stinking, muddy ground. "The oranges are poisoned, the trees are poisoned and so is the land," says Dardar. He's 26, and needs to sell oranges to feed his family, including his three small children. "I don't know what we're going to do," he says quietly. All around us is a sharp, sweet scent; the smell of fermenting, rotten oranges undercut with a thicker, more cloying smell - semi-treated sewage. This is what has tainted the Dardar family's fields. This is a study in knock-on effects. It began last June, when Israel imposed an economic shutdown on the Gaza Strip, in a bid to bring pressure on the militant Hamas government to cease its attacks on Israel. Many call what has happened since a "siege" - and this does not seem an exaggeration. All but a few Palestinians are unable to enter or leave Gaza, even those needing medical care. As a result, 80,000 have lost their jobs. The flow of supplies - and almost everything in Gaza comes from Israel - is severely limited, and there are shortages of everything from fuel and cement to school books and basic medicines. Because Israel won't allow spare parts into Gaza, the Strip's antiquated sewage system, built to serve just a fraction of the 1.5 million people who now live there, is near to total collapse. It is kept working by pumps, which remove excess sewage and dump it straight into landfill sites or the sea. But Israel has cut back on electricity and fuel supplies too, so the pumps don't always work. And that's when the sewage rises in the streets of Zaytoun, where Dardar's family lives and farms. It's pretty obvious what's happening," says Dardar's neighbour, Omar Abbas, who lives next to the sewage plant. "When the electricity cuts out, which it does most days, an hour later the sewage starts to rise through the manholes." He points to an open drain, brimming with a virulent green liquid. "And the dirty water flows down the roads and into the fields." His wife shows us the tide mark where sewage and floodwater rose knee-high inside her yard last week. Her kitchen garden was ruined. "If you'd seen it, you'd have torn your hair." As we walk around we see empty greenhouses where tomatoes should be growing, and fields with intricate irrigation systems. Some are full of young potato plants; they look healthy enough, but officials have told the farmers they can't eat the potatoes or sell them - it's too dangerous. In the smelly, muddy streets children are playing - a man drives a donkey cart through a sewage-laced puddle, splashing them. A mother tells me all her children have diarrhoea and skin diseases. Aided by Oxfam engineers, Gaza's water authorities worked all winter to keep the sewage treatment system functioning. For most of that time they had only 50 per cent of the fuel they would normally use. But despite their efforts, they are beginning to admit the battle is lost. Plans to restore the walls of a major sewage lake at Beit Lahia, backed by Tony Blair, were stuck for most of the winter because of Israel's intransigence over the movement of cement. Oxfam's engineers back the Gaza authorities who say that, if the emergency pumps fail - and there are no spare parts left - the lake will overflow, and there will be a catastrophic collapse of the sewage system. It will send 1.5m tonnes of sewage into northern Gaza City, putting at least 10,000 people at risk. In some areas, sewage has flowed into schools, and many residents have had to temporarily abandon the lower floors of their homes. Raw sewage is being pumped into ponds and the sea, threatening the ecology of the coast. Urgent appeals have also been broadcast for all drinking water to be boiled.One of Oxfam's health workers told me: "This winter we've seen levels of water-borne disease among children that are normal for high summer - sometimes 70%-90% of the cases being treated are bloody diarrhoea' or parasites like giardia. We are very worried about what the hot months will bring." But even if the siege is lifted, and the sewage system repaired, the damage done to the market gardens of Zaytoun will not be undone. Or to the people who made a living from them. In one of Fadel Dardar's orange groves, six men are sitting under the trees. They were all construction workers - they had good jobs in Israel until the border was shut last June. Without income, in the autumn they had an idea: they pooled their money to rent an orange tree plantation from Dardar. They had high hopes: Gaza's oranges are famous for their high quality, and Dardar's fields were particularly productive. Every tree would yield up to eight boxes of fruit, which could sell in Jordan or Saudi Arabia for £2.50 a box. Even with the borders closed and exports impossible, the oranges should have sold in Gaza's markets for half that. But then the sewage floods came. "There are 13 in my family," says one of the men, Ahmad Elnebih. "I am the only worker. Now my life is in the hands of UNRWA (the UN agency that delivers food aid to 80 per cent of Gazans)". Another man seems close to tears. "Look at us! Our life is dying. The trees are dying. Everything is dying," he says. Oxfam is starting a food voucher scheme in Zaytoun, to try to help the farming families. But addressing the people's real needs - their lack of jobs, their fears for the future - will take political drive that the world outside Gaza seems to lack. Even the special envoy for the quartet group of nations overseeing the peace process, Tony Blair, seems to have given up - he's now taken on another job, tackling climate change. The International Crisis Group (ICG) last week reported that the peace process was failing. "The policy of isolating Hamas and sanctioning Gaza is bankrupt and, by all conceivable measures, has backfired," it stated. "Violence is rising, harming both Gazans and Israelis. Economic conditions are ruinous, generating anger and despair." Ask the orange farmers how things can move forward and they shrug. "Everything has stopped for us," says Ahmad El-Nebih, 46. "What can we do? Have an election? That won't change anything. You must ask people outside here to find a way so we can start our lives again. Think of us, and don't give up." What do the organisations who work with the ordinary people of Gaza want? "An end to violence targeted at civilians and an end to the blockade of Gaza so that people in Gaza and in neighbouring Israeli towns can get back to normal lives free of fear and poverty," says Oxfam's Michael Bailey in Jerusalem. Or what? Many observers predict war in Gaza, or total social collapse, if things don't change soon. "The worst is not yet inevitable," says Robert Malley, director of the ICG's Middle East and North Africa programme. "But avoiding it depends on Fatah and Hamas the opposed ruling factions in the Palestinian territories beginning the process of reconciliation; a ceasefire agreement that allows Gazans and Israelis near the border to pursue normal lives; and the international community at last playing a constructive part in encouraging the parties to achieve these goals." Written by Alex Renton. This article was originally published in the Sunday Herald.