Border crossings: Israel controls all border crossings except Rafah on the Gaza-Egypt border, which is jointly controlled by the Egyptians and Palestinians, under the supervision of the European Union. Border crossings have been largely closed, with exceptions for the limited passage of goods and persons via Israel, including medical personnel and some humanitarian cases.
Local security: Hamas’ Executive Force is primarily in control of the law-enforcement in the Gaza Strip. Elements of this force, originally set up to counter the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, were deployed after the takeover as traffic officers and policemen and have taken on a variety of security roles, including that of border police. Additionally, Hamas has officially banned weapons for civilian use and are now in the process of hiring and training new police officers.
The courts: Judges loyal to the Palestinian Authority, under President Abbas’ direction are boycotting the Hamas administration in Gaza, resulting in a backlog of criminal cases. Hamas created a judicial committee in July, which includes an Islamic legal scholar, a military court lawyer and a prison warden. With the consent of the parties, the committee will reference Islamic law. Hamas also announced that it will replace the "uncooperative" judges. Last Sunday, lawyers in Gaza went on strike to protest the Hamas’ “violation of rights and public freedoms and especially freedom of worship and aggression against lawyers."
Energy — electricity and fuel: Out of the 200 megawatts used by Gazans, 120 megawatts come from Israeli sources, 17 are provided by Egypt and 65 are produced at a plant in Gaza, which is in large part funded by the European Union. Last month, about 700,000 Gazans lost electricity when the European Union temporarily cut off funding after reports that Hamas was pocketing revenues from electrical taxes. Israeli authorities have threatened to cut of the supply of electricity in response to continued rocket fire from Gaza and have on occasion barred the entry of fuel for Gaza’s power plant, which was bombed in June 2006 after the killing of two Israeli soldiers.
Water: Control of water sources within the Gaza strip was transferred to the Palestinians with the 1994 Gaza-Jericho agreement, yet Gaza’s water supply remains dependent on Israel.
Hospitals: Hamas has been consolidating control over the hospitals by replacing employees with Hamas loyalists. Events came to a head with two days of protests following the dismissal of Jumaa al-Saqqa, a pro-Fatah physician who was fired for his political views. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), one of the largest challenges is the decaying infrastructure, as closed borders have limited the ability to replace medical supplies in need of maintenance.
Education: Almost half the students (200,000 children) attend UN-run schools. Schools reopened this September, but without 30 percent of their new academic textbooks, due to border closures.
Waste management: President Abbas has stated that the Palestinian Authority will only pay the garbage collectors’ salaries if they agree to stay home from work. Garbage is piling up in Gaza.