A/HRC/44/60 miles. The extent of the allowable fishing zone off the Gaza coast depends entirely on Israel’s reaction to perceived security threats from Hamas and other militant groups, with no apparent security relationship to the commercial activities of Palestinian fishers. In 2019, Israel reduced the fishing zone nine times, including completely closing the fishery four times. Since 2010, there have been more than 1,300 incidents of the Israeli navy using live ammunition, involving more than 100 injuries, five deaths and 250 confiscations of fishing boats and other equipment. In 2020 to date alone, there have been at least 105 incidents of naval fire at Gaza fishing boats.106 64. Respecting agriculture, Israel has imposed a high-risk restricted zone that extends from between 300 to 500 metres from the perimeter fence surrounding Gaza. Much of this restricted zone is high-value fertile soil, which deprives Gaza of approximately 35 percent of its agricultural lands. As a result, farmers and investors are reluctant to invest in greenhouses, livestock production, irrigation systems and high-value crops in areas up to 500 metres from the perimeter fence.107 65. Gaza’s social sector is the second prominent area to be adversely affected by Israel’s closure policy. Gaza’s population has increased by 25 percent since 2012 to two million people, but its living standards have sharply declined. The UN Special Coordinator has stated that: “Gaza in 2020 does not provide living conditions that meet international standards of human rights, including the right to development.”108 The numbers of Gazans living under the poverty line, as of 2017, stood at 53 percent (up from 39 percent in 2011), and the World Bank predicts that this will rise to 64 percent.109 Food insecurity increased from 44 percent of the population in 2012 to 62 percent in 2018.110 66. With very limited exceptions, Palestinians in Gaza are not permitted to exit the Strip through Israel. The only exceptions are business traders, patients requiring medical treatment outside, staff of international organizations and special humanitarian cases. (Indeed, since the arrival of Covid-19 in March 2020, travel to and from Gaza has been virtually non-existent). Gaza’s airport and commercial seaport were destroyed by Israel and have not permitted to be restored. In 2004, a monthly average of 43,500 Palestinians exited the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing; by 2018, the monthly average had dropped to 9,200.111 Israel regularly closes the Erez crossing in response to actions by Hamas or other militant groups, which often have no relationship to the needs of the Palestinian population in Gaza to travel. 67. Gaza imports approximately 85 percent of its electricity from Israel. Throughout most of 2017 to 2019, the supply of power to Gaza was cut to 4-5 hours a day per household. This resulted in significant challenges for the refrigeration and cooking of food, the use of technology and managing home life. With the recent increase in funds from Qatar, energy supplies in Gaza have increased to around 11-13 hours daily. 112 Punitive fuel cuts made by Israel in response to security challenges periodically interrupt medical care, clean water, sewage treatment and power to homes to the entire population, with no valid security rationale.113 68. The supply of drinkable water in Gaza has reached a desperate stage: only 10 percent of Palestinians in Gaza have access to safe drinking water through the public network (down 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 16 Information provided by Gisha and Al-Mezan. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-impact-restrictions-access-land-near-perimeter-fencegaza-strip. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/paper-ad-hoc-liaison-committee-2-june2020-office-united. http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/844141590600764047/pdf/Economic-MonitoringReport-to-the-Ad-Hoc-Liaison-Committee.pdf. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/paper-ad-hoc-liaison-committee-2-june2020-office-united. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/2018-more-casualties-and-food-insecurity-less-fundinghumanitarian-aid. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/paper-ad-hoc-liaison-committee-2-june2020-office-united. https://gisha.org/updates/10159.