By Alexander G Higgins
Geneva - The international Red Cross said on Monday that Gazans have been unable to recover from Israel's military operation of six months ago and are sliding ever deeper into despair.
Israeli control of border crossings is stopping reconstruction and the shipment of medical and other supplies to Gaza, said the International Committee of the Red Cross in an unusually hard-hitting report for the neutral agency. Making matters worse, the border crossing into Egypt is rarely open.
The situation for people inside Gaza is being worsened by differences between the Hamas leadership in the territory and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, the ICRC said.
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Israel said the ICRC should have put the blame more squarely on Hamas for the troubles of Gazans.
"The situation in Gaza is indeed very difficult," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor said. "But by stating the obvious, without even shyly referring to the real causes of the Gazans' plight - namely, the brutal takeover by Hamas and its declared war against Israel - the Red Cross does a very poor service to truth and justice."
The ICRC report said Gazan civilians whose homes were destroyed during the conflict were unable to recover.
"Six months after Israel launched its three-week military operation in Gaza on 27 December 2008, Gazans still cannot rebuild their lives," it said.
The ICRC report said daily rocket attacks from Gaza put thousands of Israelis at risk in the southern part of Israel, but during the 22 days of Israeli military operations, nowhere in Gaza had been safe for civilians.
"Many people in Gaza lost a child, a parent, another relative or a friend," it said. "Israel's military operation left thousands of homes partly or totally destroyed. Whole neighbourhoods were turned into rubble."
Many children now suffer deep psychological problems, the ICRC said. Seriously ill people are unable to get the care they need because of travel restrictions or a lack of medical supplies.
Limits on imports have made it impossible to repair or replace many of the thousands of homes that were damaged or destroyed, it said.
Water and sanitation services could be restored somewhat, but it added: "Every day, 69-million litres of partially treated or completely untreated sewage are pumped directly into the Mediterranean because they cannot be treated."
- This article was originally published on page 2 of Cape Times on July 01, 2009
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