Cruel IDF Siege Keeps Gazans From Celebrating Israeli Deaths With Candy

“Limiting the celebratory sweets smacks of vindictiveness, and only further feeds the cycle of violence.”

Gaza City, October 13 – Residents of this coastal territory are fuming over the Israeli blockade, saying it restricts their access to the sweets and ingredients necessary to properly celebrate the rising Israeli death toll in the current wave of violence.

After Hamas ousted Fatah in a brief conflict in 2007, Israel imposed a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip to prevent the importation of weapons, and continues to inspect goods entering the territory through Israeli border crossings. While in practice almost no commercial goods are restricted, the sense of siege has only been reinforced in recent months as Egypt has acted to destroy many of the hundreds of tunnels connecting Gaza and Egypt, and locals suffer both a depressed economy and a repressive Hamas regime. The despair has fed animosity toward Israel, and a desire to participate vicariously in the wave of stabbings, shootings, and automotive attacks targeting Israeli Jews in recent weeks. However, the customary distribution of sweets to celebrate the attacks has been tainted by an apparent shortage of candies, further inflaming the populace.

Ali Abdel Khader, 35, was forced to order more expensive confections than his typical sucking candies to mark the dozens of Israeli civilians killed or wounded in this morning’s (Tuesday) four attacks in Jerusalem and Raanana, and blames Israel for the additional expense and inconvenience. “I work hard, and I can’t afford to spend even a little bit more on specialty items,” he said. “I used to be able to get a huge bag of gummy candies to distribute to my family and neighbors, but today I had to go all the way to the bakery on the next street to get knafe and baklava, which of course costs a lot more for a similar amount. This immoral siege cannot continue.”

International NGOs echo Khader’s sentiments. “Israel has a responsibility to let life in Gaza proceed as normal,” said Human Rights Watch activist Jessica Montell. “Limiting the celebratory sweets smacks of vindictiveness, and only further feeds the cycle of violence.”

B’tselem spokesman Damye Hudihefker similarly called on Israel to ease restrictions, especially of construction materials that could be used to produce armaments, but also could play a role in perhaps building a candy factory or something. “You don’t know for sure it will be used for military purposes,” he insisted. “All you have is the precedent of Hamas doing so every single time.”

An IDF spokesman was unavailable for comment, as he had been called away for briefings on ongoing attempts by hundreds of violent Gazans to storm the fence that separates the territory from Israel.