Nicole Johnston

What a waste

As you approach Gaza's main dump by road you see a massive wall of trash looming over the plain.

It's crawling with around one hundred scavenger dogs and dozens of poor children, combing through the trash for anything they can sell.

In this cesspit of disease is 20 percent of all the donated medicine Gaza has received since the end of the January 2009 war with Israel.

The Health Ministry in the deposed government of Hamas and the World Health Organisation say this aid had already expired or was close to expiring, before it arrived in Gaza.

So now officials are left with the job of disposing of it. But how? Gaza doesn't have the proper facilities to do it, so it's dumped in a landfill and bulldozed along with the rest of the garbage.

Millions of dollars of aid – going to waste.

Inside Israel's 'buffer zone'

Saturday morning in Gaza. We were crouched down in the middle of Israel’s so-called buffer zone, listening to Israeli gunfire - directed at us.

They were warning shots - over our heads. But still close enough to convince all of us it was not a good idea to hang around.

With two film crews, four cameras, four international volunteers and a foreign journalist present, I foolishly thought that perhaps the Israeli army would not open fire inside the buffer zone.

That perhaps they would drive up in their jeeps, take a look and then head off.

But the experience of the Mavi Mamara, when Israeli soldiers killed nine activists, should have taught me that the presence of foreigners and media is no deterrent when it comes to the Israeli army.

The buffer zone is Palestinian farm land adjacent to the Israeli-controlled border around Gaza.

'We don't want a crossing for plates, cups and tooth brushes'

Keram Abu Salem Crossing

We watched the trucks roll into Gaza with goods Israel has not allowed in for more than three years.

And when we waved the drivers down to stop so we could see the cargo, there were those innocuous items; kids’ footballs, packets of pencils, children’s backpacks, kitchen cutlery and sewing material.

Is this a "liberalised" siege - an "easing" of the blockade?

Or is this Israel’s folly on display for the world to see?

From Thursday the goods now allowed into Gaza will include spare parts for cars, engine oil, tyres, parts for the agricultural and fishing industries, perfume and makeup.

In Gaza people see this as a minor modification of the siege.

All of these items are already available here. They come from Egypt and are smuggled through underground tunnels. This inflates the price and the quality is poor.

The Khadr family

But people in Gaza need more than goods.

Toys for Gaza, after three years

Israel says the siege on Gaza is about security and making sure the deposed government of Hamas doesn't get its hands on any more weapons.

So why hasn't Israel allowed children’s toys into Gaza for the last three years?

Is it to collectively punish the people of Gaza for voting in a party which Israel defines as a terrorist group? Or is there a dual use for children's toys - maybe they can be turned into bunkers or smuggling tunnels?

Either way, on Thursday Israel announced toys will be allowed into Gaza.

For the last few years all Gaza's toys have been smuggled in through underground tunnels.

Moatez Moshtaha says business in his toy shop has gone backwards 10 years since the siege started.

He used to import direct from China. But since the blockade began, he has had to rely on smugglers and pay up to an extra 40% for the goods.