Gaza: UN says poverty and hardship on the rise

from Adnkronos

New York, 25 Oct. (AKI) - The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "deterioriating alarmingly" with Palestinians facing increasing poverty and hardship, according to a top United Nations official.

In a strongly worded statement, B. Lynn Pascoe, the UN's under secretary-general for political affairs, also warned humanitarian operations would be seriously affected by new Israeli measures to limit the activities of Palestinians.

“Economic activity and humanitarian operations will be seriously affected by the decision of Israel to further restrict access for West Bank residents – including UN staff,” said Pascoe in a UN briefing.

Pascoe said Israel's intention to halve the number of Gaza crossing points from 12 to six and the imposition of new customs regulations would, if implemented, significantly increase the cost of transportation of humanitarian supplies, and result in possibly unsustainable operational obstacles.

The UN has asked the Israeli Government to reconsider the measures.

In June and July, around 100 truckloads of humanitarian goods were entering Gaza daily, but that figure has shrunk to 50. In July, an average of 40 critical medical cases crossed Erez into Israel for medical treatment not available in Gaza, but that number has since dwindled to five.

Poverty levels are on the rise, food prices are increasing, and tens of thousands of workers have lost incomes, the under-secretary general said.

“It is difficult to see how security concerns can justify the hardship these measures are causing,” said Pascoe, reiterating secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s strong injunction against punishment of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

He also repeated the concern expressed by a diplomatic grouping of the UN, United States, Russian Federation and European Union – regarding the continued closure of Gaza, and its call for continued emergency and humanitarian assistance without obstruction and the provision of essential services.

Israel's defence ministry is considering harsh economic sanctions including further electricity cuts and restrictions on the transport of goods including furniture, toys and food. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, the supply of some cheeses and milk powder for babies have also been stopped in recent weeks.

Pascoe is looking for an international meeting of members of the UN, EU, Russia and the US to consider ways of alleviating the problems. He said the secretary-general hopes it “deals with the substance of permanent peace, has broad Arab participation, produces results that positively affect the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, and leads to a serious follow-on process.”

According to the UN World Food Programme, more than one million residents or 75 per cent of the population, are now receiving food assistance from UN agencies - the highest rate in the world.