Gaza Strip
The bid for Palestinian statehood: our Observers in Gaza and the West Bank react
Gaza-bound flotilla participants braced for ‘tear gas and snipers’
No one expected that the “Freedom Flotilla II: Stay Human” would have a seamless run to the Gaza strip. Sure enough, in the latest of a series of hurdles that flotilla organisers have had to overcome, Greek coastguards halted a Canadian boat bound for Gaza shortly after it attempted to leave the Mediterranean island of Crete. As many wonder if the mission to Gaza will ever launch, our Observers tell us about the preparation that went into a trip that may never be. Read more...
Israel deploys ‘Iron dome’ missile defence as rocket attacks escalate
Winter is harsh for Gaza’s poorest
Palestinian woman breaks taboo to cycle across Gaza strip
In Gaza, an unspoken rule bans women from riding bicycles after they have hit puberty. But last Saturday, one young Palestinian woman decided to defy the taboo, sparking smiles - and a few threats - from fellow Gazans. Read her account and see the photos...
Gaza bans women from smoking hookahs
Leaders of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip announced a ban on July 18 forbidding women from smoking hookahs (water-pipes) in public places, deeming the practice "immodest". Read more...
“Raid on Freedom Flotilla will only underline Israel’s growing isolation”
Our Observer Joel Schalit is an Israeli writer based in Berlin. He sent us this opinion piece in reaction to the raid by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on a flotilla of Gaza-bound aid ships on Monday morning. Read more...
Turkish fury over Israeli interception: “We'll all be on the next ship to Gaza"
Ten thousand people have been demonstrating outside the Israeli embassy in Istanbul today, in protest against the IDF interception of Gazan-bound aid ships. One of the protestors there tells us that along with thousands of others, he'll be on the next boat to the Strip. Read more...
“Anger everywhere” in Gaza after Israel storms aid ships
The Israeli army's interception of a flotilla of boats heading to Gaza with 10,000 tonnes of aid has dismayed locals in the strip. One of them, a student from Gaza City, says that people are already heading out to protest against the attack. Read her account...
The alternative football World Cup – in the Gaza Strip
They are massively into their football and dream of going to South Africa for the World Cup. But they live in the Gaza Strip and the borders are closed. Read more...
