Khan Younis, Gaza Strip: The drowning of eight young Palestinian would-be migrants off the coast of Tunisia have reverberated across Gaza, drawing attention to the dire conditions in the territory and prompting some rare public criticism of the ruling Hamas militant group.
Their funerals took place in front of thousands of people with many critical of what drove the men to undertake the journey to seek new lives in Europe.
“The government that governs us here is the reason. It’s to blame. It’s to blame,” said Naheel Shaath, whose 21-year-old son Adam was among the dead. “I blame all officials here who don’t care for the youths or provide job opportunities for them.”
Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade of the Gaza Strip 15 years ago after Hamas seized control of Gaza from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority.
Israel says the closure, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory, is needed to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Israel and its Western allies have branded Hamas as a terrorist Islamic group sworn to Israel’s destruction. Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment.
It has stifled the economy of Gaza, where unemployment hovers near 50 per cent, and residents are usually quick to blame Israel for the difficult conditions. But increasingly, families have begun to complain about Hamas’ leadership, citing the high taxes, its heavy-handed rule and a growing stream of leaders, including its supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh, who have moved abroad to more comfortable places with their families.
Read the report by Wafaa Shurafa and Fares Akram in The Sydney Morning Herald.