UNRWA demands lifting of blockade
11 Aug 2014 4:29 AM IST
A UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees has demanded the border restrictions on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip be lifted, warning that ‘a man-made homelessness crisis’ is unfolding in the besieged enclave. The demand echoes assertions by Gaza militants who renewed the fighting on Friday, saying their key demands, including the lifting of blockade of Gaza, were not met. ‘We cannot rebuild it with our hands tied behind our backs. The blockade must end,’ United Nations Relief and Works Agency said.
The blockade of Gaza by Israel, and also enforced by Egypt, tightly controls movement of goods and people into the impoverished territory of 1.8 million people. ‘The last seven years have shown that reconstruction under blockade is unsustainable. Look where the blockade led; to war and industrial scale destruction. Huge swathes of Gaza have been levelled,’ UNRWA said.
The blockade of Gaza by Israel, and also enforced by Egypt, tightly controls movement of goods and people into the impoverished territory of 1.8 million people. ‘The last seven years have shown that reconstruction under blockade is unsustainable. Look where the blockade led; to war and industrial scale destruction. Huge swathes of Gaza have been levelled,’ UNRWA said.
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