Gaza is still effectively a prison camp for its people. They are allowed to leave the territory only in the most exceptional cases. Following the "easing" of the blockade some business people have been granted exceptional leave to travel to the West Bank through Israel, but the rest of the inhabitants cannot travel abroad for work, study or to visit relatives. Many patients have died because of Israel's refusal to grant permission for them to travel for medical treatment.
The ongoing suffering of the people of Gaza is the reason why the latest initiative to break the siege - Freedom Flotilla 2 - is so important. While the world focuses on the protests and revolutions rocking the Arab world, Israel believes it can get away not only with the continuation of the siege but also with an escalation of its air-raids and attacks on the territory, which killed more than 20 people at the beginning of April.
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