United Nations, Palestinians call for $550 mn in Gaza aid
10 Sept 2014 6:07 AM IST
The appeal comes two weeks after Israel and Hamas ended 50 days of bloodshed that killed more than 2,100 people, mostly civilians, and a month ahead of a donors’ conference in Cairo.
‘The scope of damage and devastation is unprecedented in the Gaza Strip. The crisis is far from over,’ James Rawley, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
Rawley and Palestinian deputy prime minister Mohammed Mustafa outlined the humanitarian needs for post-war Gaza, calling for 551 million (427 million euros) for food aid, access to clean water, healthcare and education. ‘We challenge the world to be ambitious and daring in helping us realise recovery, reconstruction and a better future for Gaza,’ Mustafa said, adding: ‘An immediate measure is to end the blockade on Gaza and ensure our people never again experience the horrors of this summer.
Rawley echoed calls for a ‘full lifting of the blockade.’ Israel agreed to ease restrictions on goods entering Gaza under a truce deal reached with Hamas on August 26. But restrictions remain on building materials, which are crucial for reconstructing the Strip, large residential parts of which were flattened by Israeli artillery and aerial bombardment during the conflict. Israel says steel and concrete could be used by Gaza militants to make weapons and build tunnels for attacking Israel.
‘The scope of damage and devastation is unprecedented in the Gaza Strip. The crisis is far from over,’ James Rawley, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
Rawley and Palestinian deputy prime minister Mohammed Mustafa outlined the humanitarian needs for post-war Gaza, calling for 551 million (427 million euros) for food aid, access to clean water, healthcare and education. ‘We challenge the world to be ambitious and daring in helping us realise recovery, reconstruction and a better future for Gaza,’ Mustafa said, adding: ‘An immediate measure is to end the blockade on Gaza and ensure our people never again experience the horrors of this summer.
Rawley echoed calls for a ‘full lifting of the blockade.’ Israel agreed to ease restrictions on goods entering Gaza under a truce deal reached with Hamas on August 26. But restrictions remain on building materials, which are crucial for reconstructing the Strip, large residential parts of which were flattened by Israeli artillery and aerial bombardment during the conflict. Israel says steel and concrete could be used by Gaza militants to make weapons and build tunnels for attacking Israel.
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