The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rooted in a seemingly intractable dispute over land claimed by Jews as their biblical birthright and by the Palestinians, who seek self-determination. It is the scene of the world’s longest refugee crisis.
An estimated 75 per cent of Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel and the ensuing Israel-Arab war. Since that time, illegal land confiscation and annexation have expanded Israeli-controlled areas rapidly, leaving Palestinians currently in control of only 20 per cent of land in the West Bank and Gaza.
For more than 60 years, Palestinian refugees have endured exile from their ancestral homeland and marginalised existence in impoverished refugee camps. Despite these difficult circumstances, most refugees proudly retain their Palestinian identity and still dream of one day returning to their homes. Today there are more than 5.5 million Palestinian refugees. Most live in communities subject to indiscriminate Israeli military control in the occupied territories of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Others reside in surrounding countries or live permanently overseas.
Restrictions on the movement of people and goods around the Palestinian Territories, created by the system of checkpoints, closures and curfews, affect every aspect of daily life for Palestinians. 79 per cent of people in Gaza live in poverty. More and more people aren't getting enough food. Chronic malnutrition and dietary-related diseases are on the rise, especially among children.
Basic healthcare is provided by the Palestinian Authority, UNRWA and other aid agencies, but health services are limited and fragmentary. Despite the use of mobile health clinics to reach cut-off villages in the West Bank, difficulties in getting through checkpoints mean many people don't get the treatment they need, especially in hospitals.
A coalition of British aid agencies published a report in March 2008 saying the blockade had created the worst humanitarian crisis in 40 years, and that sanitation and health systems were on the point of collapse.
The health situation in Gaza continues to be impacted by the blockade of Gaza. Shortages of essential medicines and equipment, the denial and delay of serious medical case referrals outside Gaza and the widespread destruction of medical infrastructure during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09 continue to impact upon the health status of the local population. The dilapidated state of water and sanitation infrastructure, coupled with poor dietary intake caused by increasing levels of poverty, continues to affect the nutritional status of people in Gaza. Significantly, cases of psychological distress and trauma for women, men and children continue to impact upon lives and livelihoods.