GAZA (BNO NEWS) -- The Red Cross in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday said that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza despite problems such as daily rocket fire and the blockade in the region.

"There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said Mathilde Redmatn, deputy director of the Red Cross in Gaza. "If you go to the supermarket, there are products. There are restaurants and a nice beach. The problem is mainly in maintenance of infrastructure and in access to goods."

Redmatn added that despite the problems the city endures a "surprising normalcy" but remarked that the rocket attacks from both sides of the Gaza Strip are a violation of international law.

"Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip is against international law because it is directed at civilians," The Red Cross deputy director said. "We conduct dialogue with Hamas on the matter."

The Red Cross official also said that blockade on Gaza Strip severely affects the proper delivery of all the needed humanitarian assistance in the region. Most of the infrastructures cannot be improved due to the closure.

"We are mainly engaged in the areas of water and sanitation. We are talking about a highly dense population. Most of the infrastructure cannot be improved due to the closure so we try to improve the situation with existing tools," the director said.

The Red Cross in the Gaza Strip began operations in 1967. The organization works on an ongoing basis with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as the situation in the region requires it.

"We are documenting human rights violations according to international law and we speak with relevant parties on how to take care of the issue," Redmatn added. "We are talking about captives, soldiers, wounded people, and in fact anyone defined by the Geneva Convention."

The Red Cross played a role in the Gaza flotilla incident in May 2010. The deadly raid resulted in the death of nine Turkish activists, causing global outrage for what some said was unnecessary violence. A United Nations Human Rights Council mission ruled in September that Israel used "totally unnecessary violence" and an "unacceptable level of brutality.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)