UN Agencies Join Global Call to Action on Gaza

United Nations (PNA/Xinhua) — United Nations agencies and offices are expressing alarm over the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected by last summer’s fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Thursday.

“With six months having passed since a ceasefire ended the fighting in the Gaza strip, UN agencies and international NGOs ( non-governmental organizations) today issued a joint statement expressing alarm at the limited progress in rebuilding the lives of those affected and tackling the conflict’s root causes,” Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

The joint statement from some 30 international aid agencies said six months after a ceasefire ended the seven-week fighting, the Israeli-imposed blockade continues, the political process, along with the economy, are paralyzed, and living conditions have worsened.

“Overall, the statement says, the lack of progress has deepened levels of desperation and frustration among the population, more than two thirds of whom are Palestine refugees,” the spokesman said. “It stresses that we must not fail in Gaza, and that we must realize the vision of making Gaza a livable place and a cornerstone of peace and security in the region.”

According to the agencies, reconstruction and repairs to the tens of thousands of homes, hospitals, and schools damaged or destroyed in the fighting has been woefully slow. Sporadic rocket fire from Palestinian armed groups has resumed.

Living conditions in Gaza were already dire before the latest round of fighting. Most residents were unable to meet their food requirements and over seven years of blockade had severely compromised access to basic services, including to health, water and sanitation.

Around 100,000 Gazans are still living in shelters, temporary accommodations or with extended families after their homes were destroyed. Tens of thousands more families are living in badly damaged homes.

Oxfam, the international charity organization, warned Thursday that rebuilding the Gaza Strip following last summer’s military offensive waged by Israel might take “100 years” if the long- standing Israeli blockade persists.

On July 8, Israel waged a 50-day large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which left 2,200 Palestinians dead and injured over 11,000. The military operation also resulted in substantial destruction in housing, infrastructure and the industry and agriculture sectors.

On Oct. 12, international donors met in Cairo and pledged 5.4 billion U.S. dollars for Gaza’s reconstruction. However, years of Israeli blockade on the enclave and internal disputes between Palestinian rival groups obstructed this process.

“But since July, the situation has deteriorated dramatically. Approximately 100,000 Palestinians remain displaced this winter, living in dire conditions in schools and makeshift shelters not designed for long-term stay,” the statement said.

Scheduled power cuts persist for up to 18 hours a day. And the continued non-payment of the salaries of public sector employees and the lack of progress in the national unity government further increases tensions. With severe restrictions on movement, most of the 1.8 million residents are trapped in the coastal enclave, ” with no hope for the future,” said the statement.

Heavy winter storms last month added to the suffering of the people of Gaza, especially as electricity, fuel and cooking gas were running short there.

Bearing the brunt of this suffering are the most vulnerable, including the elderly, persons with disabilities, women and nearly one million children, who have experienced unimaginable suffering in three major conflicts in six short years.

Children lack access to quality education, with over 400,000 of them in need of immediate psychosocial support.

There has been no progress on concrete talks between Palestinians and the Israelis regarding a long-term solution to the crisis in Gaza. Oxfam called on both sides to proactively seek a peaceful resolution, including an end to the blockade. Growing tensions within the Palestinian unity government are also exacerbating the situation in Gaza.

Agencies say that the international community is not providing Gaza with adequate assistance. “Little of the 5.4 billion dollars pledged in Cairo has reached Gaza. Cash assistance to families who lost everything has been suspended and other crucial aid is unavailable due to lack of funds,” they noted.

A return to hostilities is inevitable if progress is not made and the root causes of conflict are not addressed, they added, calling on Israel, “as the occupying power,” to comply with its obligations under international law and fully lift the blockade, within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1860 adopted in 2009.

The fragile ceasefire must be reinforced, and the parties must resume negotiations to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. “All parties must respect international law and those responsible for violations must be brought to justice. Accountability and adherence to international humanitarian law and international human rights law are essential pre-requisites for any lasting peace,” the non-governmental agencies said.

Also imperative, Egypt needs to open the Rafah Crossing, most urgently for humanitarian cases, and donor pledges must be translated into disbursements, they added.

On Jan. 20, Egypt reopened Rafah border crossing point on the borders with the Gaza Strip for three days to enable patients and students to travel abroad.

On Dec. 21, 2014, Egypt temporarily reopened Rafah crossing for two days. It was the first time since closing it in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Sinai in which 30 Egyptian soldiers were killed.

Egypt repeatedly closed Rafah crossing following a series of deadly attacks carried out by radical Islamists in Sinai. After these attacks, the Egyptian army carried out the largest ever security campaign in Sinai.

The Gaza Strip, which is still in Hamas grip since June 2007, has been under an Israeli blockade since then. However, internal feuds between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made Egypt reluctant to permanently keep the crossing open, reports said, adding that the enclave’s 1.8 million people have been suffering from restrictions on a free access of travel and movement. (PNA/Xinhua) FPV/EBP