Palestinians condemn Israel’s suffocating siege on Gaza

Gaza City, July 19 (RHC)-- Palestinian National and Islamic groups in the Gaza Strip have held a gathering near the separation fence to slam Israel for stalling the flow of goods to the enclave.

Attended by a number of Palestinian resistance leaders, the gathering voiced the resistance refusal of the Israeli attempts to provoke Palestinian outrage by widening the current blockade on the crossings connecting Gaza to the outside world.

Palestinian resistance called on mediators and international community to redouble efforts to pressurize Israel into removing specifically its restriction on building materials and construction work.  The Israeli strikes displaced nearly 80,000 Gazans including children and destroyed 17,000 homes.

Palestinian resistance has warned that the new pressure by Israel will intensify the current tensions. They say are considering all options to break the siege.

Israel imposed its suffocating siege on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas took control of the enclave in an election.  Observers say any delay in the arrival of the construction material into Gaza will further hamper the daily life for the Palestinian families, especially those who’ve lost their homes.  They also warned about the repercussions of Israel’s tightening of its siege on the impoverished enclave.