[News] Israeli attacks UN convoys; UN halts its operations in Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

In protest of Israeli attacks on its convoys; the 
UNRWA halts its operations in Gaza

http://www.imemc.org/article/58367
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  Thursday January 08, 2009 20:02
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 by Gaza office - IMEMC News 
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The United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA 
announced on Thursday evening that the agency 
will halt all of its operations in Gaza.

<http://www.imemc.org/attachments/jan2009/civilians_killed_in_the_israeli_continued_attacks_on_gaza__photo_by_pchr_2009.jpg>
Civilians killed in the Israeli continued attacks on Gaza 

Civilians killed in the Israeli continued attacks on Gaza Photo by PCHR 2009

UNRWA, which is the only agency left that manages 
aid to the attacked Gaza Strip, said in a press 
statement that the decision to halt the work 
comes as a protest to the Israeli attacks on the agency staff and institutions.

Adnan Abu Hassnah, the spokesman of UNRWA in 
Gaza, said in the statement that the agency 
trucks convoy was attacked today by the Israeli 
army, he added that one UNRWA staff member was 
killed and one injured, the convey was bring in 
aid supplies into Gaza from the Israeli-Gaza 
borders, the army was informed of the convey and 
gave the permission, Abu Hassnah said.

On Tuesday January 3, 2009, the Israeli troops 
launched an attack on a school run by the United 
Nations Relief and Works Agency UNRWA in the 
northern Gaza town of Jabaliya. The attack left 
43 Palestinians dead and around 100 wounded. 
Doctors said all the dead were either people 
seeking shelter in the school or residents of the 
nearby Jabaliya refugee camp.

With the halt of the UNRWA aid work the 1.5 
million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip 
will be left with no sources of food or any other 
aid supply, local sources reported.

Doctors working in Gaza s hospitals say they ve 
been swamped by casualties but lack essential 
drugs, medicines, medical equipment, and spare 
parts. Several paramedics have also been killed 
after coming under tank and artillery fire.

A number of clinics have been forced to close 
because of clashes nearby, said Oxfam Great 
Britain s Country Director in Jerusalem, John 
Prideaux-Brune. Additionally, hospitals are 
struggling to function because of round-the-clock 
power cuts. Fuel for back-up generators is now 
dangerously low. Scores of patients in intensive 
care face certain death if those generators stop.

On Tuesday, generators at Ministry of Health 
ambulance stations, vaccine stores, labs and 
warehouses shut down temporarily after running 
out of fuel, he said. The UN has managed to 
deliver food to some hospitals and southern areas 
in the past few days but has had to cancel 
distributions elsewhere. Similarly, a small 
amount of fuel has been trucked into the Strip 
recently but clashes have prevented distribution to most of those who need it.

The death toll in Gaza by Thursday evening stands 
at 765; half of them are children and women, in 
addition to 3,200 injured, among them 500 in 
critical condition. The Israeli army embarked on 
its military offensive on Saturday December 27, 
2008. Israeli warplanes started by shelling all 
the Palestinian security posts there. In the 
following days the shelling was expanded.

Hospitals, homes, blacksmith workshops, schools, 
and mosques where targeted. Day and night all the 
Palestinian coastal region was under attack. On 
Saturday January 3, 2009 Israeli ground forces 
entered the Gaza strip and divided it into two sections.




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