Emergency Aid
The Continuing Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip
(as of March 3, 2009)
The following summary covers general humanitarian aspects of the ongoing Gaza Strip crisis that culminated in serious conflict from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009. For additional/updated information, consult the websites for UNRWA (www.un.org/unrwa) and OCHA (www.ochaopt.org).
Casualties: There were a reported 1,440 deaths and 5,800 injured in the Gaza Strip during the 22-day assault and its immediate aftermath. Among the casualties were 432 children and 114 women. Since then, the casualty rate continues to rise slowly, as some wounded persons succumb to earlier injuries and some die from landmines or from further incidents (e.g . IDF airstrikes).
Access: Most of the six crossings into the Gaza Strip are closed most of the time, but they are the only available means of access, as Gaza’s seaports and airport were destroyed by the Israeli authorities, and the makeshift tunnels along the Egyptian border were seriously damaged. On relatively good days about 120 trucks cross into Gaza, but about 700 trucks/day are needed for normal life and basic relief and reconstruction. The restricted flow of food items (mainly) is not sufficient for re-stocking shelves after 21 months of continuous economic blockade. There also continues to be a shortage of spare parts, building supplies, paper for textbooks, and much else. It is still not permitted for ordinary people to enter or leave the Gaza Strip (other than severe medical cases who are sometimes permitted to leave, with at most one person to accompany each one).
Nutrition: Sufficient quantities of grain are still not allowed into the Gaza Strip, and only 4 of the 6 mills have re-opened. Food supplies are severely limited in quantity, quality, and variety. Such limitations have continued the dependence of nearly 3/4 of Gaza’s 1.5 million people on UNRWA, the World Food Program, and various NGOs that distribute their limited food stocks almost as soon as they can get them. Such shortages worsen the persistent nutritional deficiencies, which have resulted in widespread cases of acute anemia, vitamin A deficiency and stunted growth.
Healthcare: Hospitals throughout the Strip continue to be overwhelmed with casualties that require urgent attention. However, providing medical care is made more difficult by the fact that there has never been a full lifting of the extended closure that has depleted the supply of medicines, medical supplies, equipment, and spare parts. Lacking external power supply, hospitals and clinics are reliant on supposedly temporary generators that have been so over-used as to be nearing collapse. It remains difficult for medical staff to reach the hospitals and for ambulances to reach patients, but most hospitals and clinics have re-opened, except for those which have been damaged or destroyed.
Education: All of the 221 UNRWA schools and all but 7 of the public schools have reopened, although many of the schools are damaged, and overcrowding in the remaining classrooms has worsened. The biggest problem now is that building materials cannot be imported to repair or replace the damaged structures, and most of the other needed supplies cannot be imported; for example, paper and glue for making textbooks cannot be imported, resulting in the fact that 60% of the children currently lack a full set of textbooks.
Water and Sanitation: The sewage and water systems have been seriously disrupted. Two-thirds of the water wells were shut down during the war due to lack of power, shortage of parts, or actual physical damage, and not all of these have been re-activated. Over 50,000 persons lack any regular water supply, and 100,000 have irregular access to water. Diesel fuel and chlorine, which are needed for purifying the water and treating the wastewater, are in perilously low supply. Wastewater and sewage pool in the midst of populated areas and at times overflow into crowded neighborhoods, while large quantities of untreated sewage spill directly into the Mediterranean. The World Bank warns that epidemic outbreaks could result from the combination of untreated sewage, lack of clean water, uncollected solid waste, disruption of vaccinations and regular healthcare, high population density, and the general stress, exhaustion and hunger of Gaza’s population.
Energy: The Gaza power plant has partially resumed function, but many neighborhoods have scheduled power cuts of up to 16 hrs/day due to the continuing power deficit of 19%. Electrical power has been restored to 90% of households, with the other 10% having no power due to the complete damage of local networks. During times when there is no electricity, households and other buildings resort to generators, but even these are shut down when fuel supplies are lacking. The recent lack of cooking gas and heating oil was so severe that many families were reduced to burning crates or furniture for fuel. Most of the 240 gasoline stations in Gaza City have closed once again, as there has been no petrol allowed to enter the Gaza Strip for civilian use since November 2.
Telecommunications: Mobile and landline networks are restored in parts of the Gaza Strip, which means that most telephone and electronic communications have been restored, assuming that there is enough electricity to power or charge them. However, electrical service is often unreliable, and the need to resort for long periods to supposedly temporary back-up generators has caused much damage to these generators.
Shelter: About one-seventh of all buildings, including a large number of homes, have been damaged or destroyed. Many of the 100,000 displaced persons who took refuge with families elsewhere in the Strip have been able to return to their homes and in some cases are living in tents during these rainy winter months. UNRWA still must provide basic accommodations at one emergency center.
Economy: Almost all factories, businesses, shops and farms continue to be closed due to shortages of cash, supplies, fuel, spare parts, and building materials, as well as the lack of markets and the absence of security. Since mid-2007 there have been almost no exports and practically no imports other than a short list of designated food commodities. Agricultural production is down, due to an absence of agricultural inputs, lack of fields (with 43% of them in a buffer strip to which Gazans are no longer permitted access), the destruction of assets such as irrigation systems and greenhouses, and inability to export. Fishermen are not permitted to go beyond three nautical miles, which prevents sufficient catches. Sheep and chicken producers had to slaughter most of their flocks due to the lack of feed. The unemployment rate is over 60% and the poverty rate is over 80%, partly reflecting the fact that an extraordinarily high dependency rate prevailed during the economic siege that preceded the latest conflict.
With so many serious problems affecting the people of Gaza, what should take priority?
(a.) The most urgent priority is to make the ceasefire durable and to restore free humanitarian access. A long-term cessation of hostilities is a critically important step toward returning to a normal life for Gaza’s families. Only that will enable the protection of civilians, the free flow of humanitarian aid, a full assessment of damage and need, and other necessary steps toward reconstruction.
(b.) Ending the economic blockade that has been maintained by Israel since June 2007 continues to be an urgent priority, not only for the provision of much-needed medicines, educational supplies, building materials and spare parts (e.g. for the power plant), but also for the restoration of normal economic life, including opportunities for trade, travel, education and employment.
(c.) Reconstruction needs: According to the Palestinian Authority estimates that were submitted to the international donors conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, about $2.77 billion is needed for replacing 4,318 destroyed buildings (4,036 homes, 269 businesses, 3 clinics/hospitals and 10 schools) and rebuilding 12,141 damaged ones (11,514 homes, 432 businesses, 24 clinics/hospitals and 171 schools). An estimated $501 million is needed for rebuilding infrastructure, $412 million for private businesses and farms, and $67 million for government facilities, for a total of $980 million. In addition, 53 of 200 UNRWA installations (including its headquarters building) were damaged and need to be replaced or repaired.
(d.)fSocial and personal healing: Much more difficult to assess are factors such as the lost weeks of schooling and the disruption of health care and vaccination schedules. Not to be forgotten is the psychosocial trauma experienced by children (accounting for 56% of Gaza’s population) who were forced to spend days on end huddled together in cramped, darkened households, without electricity or proper heating, hungry and anxious about their next meal, with nowhere to turn for safety, and in many cases experiencing the destruction of their homes and schools.
(e.) Accountability: There must be full access by journalists, aid workers, diplomats and U.N. officials. Gazans must be allowed to speak at last for themselves. Accusations that war crimes and other violations of international law have been committed must be addressed through independent investigations, as called for by the U. N. Secretary General and others.
(f.) An end to occupation remains the indispensable goal, as it addresses the fundamental problem and relates to all that was unacceptable about the 40-year period before the latest outbreak of fighting. Without an end to occupation in the West Banka and Gaza, the proposed assistance for physical reconstruction, economic redevelopment, and institutional renewal will just return Gaza’s people to the miserable and unsustainable conditions that prevailed before the latest round of fighting.
Thomas Neu, Executive Director
American Friends of UNRWA Association
