Quarterly update on humanitarian access: Gaza de facto authorities impede access of NGO staff

Restrictions imposed a year ago continue to hamper movement in and out of Gaza

Access incidents affecting INGO staff (Gaza Crossings)

 

During the first quarter of 2014 (January – March), a total of 11 access incidents affecting 20 NGO staff attempting to enter or exit the Gaza Strip were reported at the Arba-Arba crossing at Beit Hanoun. The crossing is administered by the de facto authorities and is located on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing, the sole passenger crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel and the West Bank. In these incidents, staff were delayed, extensively questioned or had their work equipment confiscated. In at least two incidents, female NGO personnel reported facing greater scrutiny while traveling through the Arba-Arba crossing due to their gender.

Access incidents affecting humanitarian staff (oPt)

 

During the same period, eight access incidents affecting 11 NGO staff were reported at the Erez crossing. Until recently, the latter has been the most difficult crossing for NGO personnel operating in the oPt, with approximately half of all access incidents affecting NGO staff in 2013 being reported at that location. Additionally, during this quarter, nine staff working for NGOs operating in Gaza reported incidents involving various types of intimidation by the de facto authorities. These included requests for security interviews, unannounced visits to NGO office premises or residences, and travel permits and residency cards being denied or abruptly revoked.

Permit applications by UN national staff to enter/leave Gaza - Q1 2014

 

Such practices have been repeated since March 2013, with fluctuating frequency and gravity, peaking during January 2014 and subsiding in March this year. In March 2013, the Gaza de facto authorities introduced new travel procedures at the Arba-Arba crossing, including a demand for all Palestinian staff working for UN, NGOs and other organizations to apply for permits in order to enter or leave the Gaza Strip. These procedures impede humanitarian operations in Gaza, already hampered due to the longstanding access restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities and the constraints imposed by the Egyptian authorities since mid-2013. While the permit application procedure was largely accepted by NGOs as an administrative requirement, concerns have been raised that the granting of permits is increasingly conditional on the provision of information about the activities of individual NGOs to the de facto authorities. Demands for information have ranged from basic project details to more sensitive information, such as staff salaries and lists of beneficiaries. The ability of some NGOs to respond to these demands may be limited by domestic legislation in their home states or policies implemented by their donors prohibiting or restricting their interaction with the de facto authorities. As a rule, those NGOs bound by stricter “no-contact” policies have been targeted more than others.