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Thousands left homeless by Gaza violence
(AKI) - Thousands of people have been left homeless and about 300,000 have no access to piped water or sewerage in the Gaza Strip after Israel's three week military offensive, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday. The president of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, released a statement appealing to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the ruling Hamas movement to take immediate action to end Gaza's humanitarian crisis. "We once again call on all sides to take the political steps needed to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza once and for all," said Kellenberger, who was the first leader of a major international humanitarian organisation to visit Gaza after the armed conflict began on 27 December. "Emergency aid is vital for Gaza short-term, but what is needed are the right conditions for economic development." According to Palestinian health officials, more than 1,300 people were killed and 5,000 others were wounded during the three-week conflict. The ICRC said the latest conflict came as the population of Gaza was suffering worsening poverty, shortages of basic goods and basic services as proper medical care and water because of the restrictions imposed by Israel, particularly since since 2007, when Hamas seized control of the territory. It said insufficient cooperation between the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and the Hamas administration in Gaza had also impacted the provision of essential services. "It would not be acceptable to go back to the situation prior to this latest conflict," said Kellenberger. "Political preconditions must not be allowed to affect recovery efforts. Israel's right to address its legitimate security concerns must be balanced against the Gazans' right to lead a normal and dignified life." Posted by: Fred 2009-01-24 |
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