June 27, 2011 | The Atlantic, Pulitzer Center
This slideshow was also published in The Atlantic.
In 2005, after Hamas won parliamentary elections in Gaza, Israel imposed an economic blockade by sealing its borders to all but a small amount of goods. Israel argues that it is punishing Hamas, a terrorist organization. Palestinians say it’s a form of collective punishment. The economic blockade has eased somewhat since May 2010 when Israel came under international pressure for its attack on a flotilla of Turkish boats bringing aid to Gaza. Today Gazans survive, but life is hardly normal.