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<h1 class="article-title">United Nations: 100,000 Gazans Still
Homeless Since Summer Attack</h1>
<div class="article-subtitledetails">
<span class="article-details">
<span class="article-detail"><img class="icon"
src="cid:part1.07020509.08030609@freedomarchives.org"
alt="author"> Monday March 16, 2015 <br>
<b><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.imemc.org/article/70914">http://www.imemc.org/article/70914</a></small></small></b><br>
</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="article-intro">The official UN death-toll for the
2014 war shows that 1,549 Palestinian civilians were killed in
comparison to four Israelis, and 504 Palestinian children were
killed for one Israeli child. </blockquote>
PNN reports that, in the Gaza Strip, the seven weeks of hostilities
between Palestinian armed groups and the Israeli military, during
July and August 2014, resulted in an unprecedented level of loss and
human suffering, which aggravated the <a
href="http://www.imemc.org/article/69506" target="_blank">already
fragile situation</a> that preceded the conflict.<br>
<br>
A total of 1,549 Palestinian civilians, a third of them children,
were killed and around 11,000 people were injured; 13 per cent of
the housing stock was damaged or destroyed, including some 20,000
homes totally destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, leaving over
100,000 people displaced; unexploded ordnance spread over Gaza pose
a serious threat to the life of Palestinians and humanitarian
workers; and access to already insufficient basic services has been
further undermined. Four Israeli civilians were killed during the
hostilities and hundreds injured.<br>
<br>
<b>Gaza remains in crisis, with most of the 100,000 made homeless by
last year's war still homeless. The United Nations has had to
suspend assistance to families made homeless by the war because of
a $600 million shortfall in promised donations.</b><br>
<br>
The ban on exports has no plausible justification on grounds of
Israel's security. It leaves factories idle and most Gazans
dependent on food aid.<br>
<br>
The ban on import of construction materials causes huge hardship
(most of the 100,000 made homeless by the war are still homeless).<br>
<br>
The restrictions on humanitarian aid (running at half the
pre-blockade levels) is another form of collective punishment.<br>
<br>
It's true that some building materials can be used for military
purposes, but this is a vicious circle. The more the Israelis attack
Gaza, the more that Palestinians in Gaza want to be defended. The
result can be that it strengthens rather than weakens support for
Hamas.<br>
<br>
In any case what is the alternative? The West Bank has been
demilitarised for more than 10 years with the Palestine Authority
police enforcing a strict ban on arms of all kinds, but what has
been their reward? This has just eased the way to the Israelis
stealing more land to build settlements, ransacking and demolishing
homes, turning a blind eye to settler violence, putting peaceful
demonstrators in jail and killing hundreds of Palestinians. The
Gazans see what has happened in the West Bank and do not want to be
defenceless.<br>
<br>
The Palestine Liberation Organisation renounced violence nearly 30
years ago but their strategy of non-violence only makes sense if it
is backed by international action to put pressure on Israel to end
settlement-building and land theft and allow an independent
Palestinian state within viable and secure borders. It is our
failure to deliver our part of the bargain that is the trouble.<br>
<br>
<i><b><a href="http://www.ochaopt.org/poc3march-9march.aspx"
target="_blank">Read the Gaza debate in full Latest report
from UN OCHA Latest appeal from UNRWA</a></b></i><br>
<br>
Israeli naval forces shot and killed a Palestinian fisherman who was
fishing west of Gaza city, in unclear circumstances. On another 30
occasions, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian boats sailing
near the Israeli-imposed 6 nautical mile fishing limit, including
one incident resulting in the injury to two fishermen and in damage
to their boat, and another in the detention of six fishermen.<br>
<br>
Two Palestinians were injured by explosive remnants of war (ERW) in
Gaza, including a farmer northwest of Rafah city and a man in his
house in Nuseirat Refugee Camp. Since the ceasefire of August 2014,
11 Palestinians, including a child, were killed in ERW incidents,
and another 42, including 16 children, were injured.<br>
<br>
The Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah crossing in both
directions for one day (9 March), allowing 361 Palestinians, mainly
patients and students, to leave and 956 people to cross into Gaza.
The crossing has been continuously closed since 24 October 2014,
following an attack in Sinai, except for 12 days on which it was
opened, but with restrictions.<br>
<br>
<b>Funding Needs</b><br>
<br>
US$ 175 million has been pledged in support of UNRWA's emergency
shelter programme, for which a total of US$ 720 million is required.
This leaves a current shortfall of US$ 545 million. UNRWA urgently
requires US$ 100 million in the first quarter of 2015 to allow
refugee families with minor damage to repair their homes and to
provide ongoing rental subsidies.<br>
<br>
As presented in UNRWA's oPt Emergency Appeal, for its 2015 emergency
operations in Gaza, the Agency is seeking USD 366.6 million,
including USD 127 million for emergency shelter, repair and
collective centre management, USD 105.6 million for emergency food
assistance, and USD 68.6 million for emergency cash-for-work. More
information:<br>
<br>
<b>Crossings</b><br>
<br>
The Israeli blockade of Gaza entered its 8th year in June 2014 and
continues to have a devastating effect as access to markets and
people's movement to and from the Gaza Strip remain severely
restricted. The economy and its capacity to create jobs has been
devastated, with the majority of the population becoming dependent
on humanitarian aid to meet basic needs. The number of Palestine
refugees relying on <a
href="http://www.imemc.org/newswire?search_text=unrwa&button=Search+%3E%3E"
target="_blank">UNRWA</a> for food aid has increased from fewer
than 80,000 in 2000 to almost 868,000 today.<br>
<br>
<b>Gaza: Facts and Figures</b><br>
<br>
1.26 million refugees out of 1.76 million total population<br>
<br>
8 refugee camps<br>
<br>
Almost 12,500 staff<br>
<br>
252 schools for almost 240,000 students<br>
<br>
21 health centres<br>
<br>
16 relief and social services offices<br>
<br>
12 food distribution centres for almost 868,000 refugees<br>
<br>
Living under a tightened land and sea blockade since 2007<br>
<br>
Shattered local economy<br>
<br>
Long standing restrictions on movement of people and goods has led
to a de-development of Gaza<br>
<br>
Potentially unliveable place by 2020.
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