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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/world/middleeast/08gaza.html
Gaza Under Hamas: Quiet, Cut Off and Digging In
[New York Times] Steven Erlanger - Nearly three months after Hamas conquered the teeming streets of Gaza, a wary calm has taken hold. "Now we have security," said Tamer al-Bagga, who manages a beachside cafe. "But with the closure, we have no money." Because the Hamas charter calls for Israel's destruction and Hamas is classified by Israel, the U.S. and the EU as a terrorist group, Israel is allowing only goods classified as humanitarian or essential to enter and no exports at all to leave. So an already faltering economy is collapsing. Stores are half stocked. Cigarettes and spare parts have become very expensive. There are electricity cuts of up to eight hours a day. Yet vegetables and fruit are dirt cheap. With UN food aid, no one is starving.