“Closed Zone” shows the closure of the Gaza Strip and its effects on the ability of 1.5 million people living there to fulfil their daily needs, as well as their hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Yoni Goodman, one of the creators of “Waltz with Bashir”, which won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award, recently launched the animated short film entitled “Closed Zone”.
Yoni said “It was important to me to create a human figure to whom everyone can relate. I hope that when people watch the short, they will be able to detach themselves from their automatic associations of good and evil” He created the short for Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement.

Although Israel has declared it has “disengaged” from the Gaza Strip, it maintains control of the Gaza Strip’s overland border crossings, territorial waters, and air space.

During the past 20 months, Israel has tightened its closure of Gaza, almost completely restricting the passage of goods and people both to and from the Strip. During the military operation of Dec. 2008 – Jan. 2009, Gaza residents had nowhere to flee to escape the bombing.

The goal of the State of Israeli to exert pressure on the Hamas government, has resulted in innocent civilians being punished and having their human rights violated.

Gisha calls on the State of Israel to fully open Gaza’s crossings and to allow the real victims of the closure – 1.5 million human beings – the freedom of movement, which is a basic precondition for their ability to exercise other basic human rights.