09/23/2003

Given the small size of Gaza, residents who live in the south and work in the north or who live in the north and work in the south used to be able to commute in no more than half an hour.  Now, many people have been forced to move close to their work to avoid the long delays at the checkpoints and the risk of being stuck on the wrong side of a closed road or checkpoint.  Access to the sea by fishermen has been partially or completely closed since the beginning of the al-Aqsa intifada.  Individuals violating the restrictions have been shot at or detained.