UN Agency Calls for Urgent Aid to Gaza

UN Agency Calls for Urgent Aid to Gaza Amid Fears of Humanitarian Crisis

New York, Jul 16 2007 5:00PM

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with aiding Palestinian refugees has called for urgent international assistance to the Gaza Strip, amid mounting fears of a humanitarian crisis there.

“The violence in Gaza, coupled with the tight closures imposed by Israel has led to a desperate humanitarian situation,” Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said during a meeting yesteῲday in Cairo with Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa.

Ms. AbuZayd said the economic deterioration manifests itself amongst the population in Gaza in the form of unemployment, which is running at around 36 per cent, and poverty, which is already affecting an estimated two-thirds of households.

“We have identified nearly $30 million worth of emergency projects for which we need urgent funding and I make a special appeal to Arab donors to contribute,” she said. Nearly half the funds will be spent on job creation schemes while the remainder will be used for cash assistance programmes and shelter repair and reconstruction.

UNRWA also appealed for nearly $8 million for emergency cash assistance to help refugees meet basic needs and as a complement to food aid. In addition, the agency called on donors to fund nearly $9 million for shelter repair and reconstruction.

“People are living in dire conditions,” stated Ms. AbuZayd. “The recent violence has damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings and there is an urgent need to have these repaired.”

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), almost no raw materials were imported into Gaza in the week ending last Monday, halting $370 million worth of construction. Due to the lack of supplies, only one-fifth of the Gaza companies that were open two years ago are still operating, and some 65,000 workers have been laid off.

ENDS

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