Abu Hani, construction worker, 47

I usually get to the Eretz Crossing at 8 p.m. to cross into Israel to work. I wait up to seven hours in line to get into Israel, where I work in construction near Tel Aviv. I return home by 4 p.m., which doesn’t give me any time to sleep or see my family. I’ve been doing this since 1975, but the situation has gotten worse here at the border. I want the world to ask the Israelis why they do this to us. The conditions are more and more inhumane. I sometimes come to the crossing and wish it were closed so that I would have an excuse not to wait in the cold for so long. We are frustrated and feel desperate. I don’t feel like a human being. I work four days a week in Israel and earn about 170 shekels a day. However, the Israelis make me pay for lunch in Israel and I have transportation expenses there, so I only bring home about 120 shekels. Still, that’s a lot more than I would make here in Gaza, where there is no work. I hope the situation will get better with Hamas in power. I think they will try hard to help us.