"In terms of the half of the Strip that is controlled by Israel, they're not allowing anybody in, and anybody who comes close to what they call the yellow line may get shot or killed. So all Gazans are living inside the Hamas-controlled side, and that's not enabling us to access our farmland, for example, or garbage-dump sites. There are also cities on the other side, even though they have been largely demolished. Factories and industrial areas are also on that side."
"It's an essential part of Gaza, which is so small. It's really causing a difficult situation. Is one of your concerns that this is going to become a long-term border, and that the Gaza Strip and the people who live in it are going to be permanently stuck in the part of Gaza that they're in now? No. I think that we have a ceasefire agreement."
Gaza is divided between an Israeli-controlled half and a Hamas-controlled half. Israeli restrictions and lethal enforcement near the 'yellow line' prevent Gazans from accessing the Israeli-controlled half. Gazans are confined to the Hamas-held side, losing access to farmland, garbage dumps, cities, factories, industrial zones, and wastewater-treatment plants. The loss of these services and infrastructure is acute because Gaza is small. There is hope for a ceasefire and reliance on a US 'Trump plan' to compel Israeli withdrawal. Hamas currently runs Gaza and provides security and policing functions, which many residents view as necessary to avoid a security vacuum.
Read at The New Yorker
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