"Quiet comes at a cost and if Israel would allow Gazan's a good life, there would be calm on the border," Sami Obeid, a journalist from Gaza said on Saturday, a day after the start of Israel's latest military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.
Speaking to Ynet, Obaid said Gaza's power station has informed residents they would not receive more than four hours of electricity, despite Israel's promise to allow trucks carrying fuel to enter the Strip.
"The Israeli government can allow supplies for 500 megawatts which would provide the needs of residents," he said. "If I were in the Israeli government, I would appoint a minster of Gazan affairs. There are 2.5 million people who are dependent on Israel, living in Gaza. Let us live.
"You have 20,000 workers from Thailand in the border area, why don't you give those jobs to Gazans?" he asked, adding that Gaza residents have grown accustomed to life without electricity, water, jobs or money
"Life is very hard here and we are always asking why we must live in this big prison. People have been living under siege for decades," he said.
"Quiet will come for a price. Quiet will not come without a cost, which Israel must pay.Gaza suffers from 85% unemployment, people are locked in, everything is shut down, how can we live like this?"
Obaid says the responsibility for the situation in Gaza is in the Israeli government's hands and calls on the leaders in Jerusalem to end the suffering of residents of the Strip.
"We as Gazans can tell the Palestinian factions to stop, but Israel sees all of us as terrorists," he says.