While the worlds’ attention is on the horrific disaster in Haiti with the Haitian government recently reporting over 100,000 dead and hundreds of thousands more injured, the Gaza Strip continues to spiral down a path of catastrophic deterioration.  The blockade on Gaza, now in its third year, brings more children to the brink of starvation each day with a record 1 in ten already suffering from severe malnourishment leading to stunting, a condition attributed to chronic lack of protein and micronutrients.  This is a manmade disaster with no end in sight, affecting an entire generation.

The economy is in collapse, unemployment continues to rise (41.5% officially as of the first quarter in 2009), and poverty desperately high at 80% with families living on less than one dollar a day per person.   The health sector, already volatile, is rapidly eroding affecting a society already on the brink.  In a report issued 20 January 2010, the World Health Organization stated “The closure of Gaza […] and the last Israeli military strike […] have led to on-going deterioration in the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.”  The report goes on to note that last year, “. . . 27 patients have died while awaiting referral . . .” to cross Eretz for medical treatment.

Prior to the blockade, 630 truckloads of goods including construction materials entered Gaza daily.  Today only 25% of that number trickles in with only 35 types of goods allowed, most of which are staple food imports. Just enough to drip feed a society though they are forced to remain in the freezing cold without structures, huddled in makeshift tents, under plastic sheets, or in the debris of their former homes as cement, lumber, and other building materials are not allowed.  As former President Jimmy Carter noted last year, ““I understand even paper and crayons are treated as "security hazards" and not permitted to enter Gaza.”

These are all the physical signs of a manmade tragedy.  Unseen amongst the children is trauma in knowing that there are no safe places in Gaza as their homes, schools, and play areas have been destroyed with no signs of repair.  The level of insecurity these children feel in incalculable and will affects every aspect of life for years to come.

Watching the images on television of the devastation that Haitian children are enduring, we find comfort in knowing that the world is pulling together bringing hope to their lives.  The children in Gaza seek the same hope.