Charity coalition in the Gaza Strip on Thursday said that the coastal enclave has become a “disaster zone” and called for immediate action to rescue its inhabitants.
The coalition coordinator Ahmad al-Kurd announced in a press conference the launch of “Save Gaza” initiative with a view to help the Palestinians living under dire conditions in Gaza.
Al-Kurd said “It is no secret that the situation in the Gaza Strip has seriously deteriorated due to the unjust siege and devastating wars waged by the Israeli occupation on the enclave.”
Al-Kurd called on all international institutions to urgently intervene without any delay or procrastination to end the siege and meet the basic needs of Gaza’s two million inhabitants.
He also asked the Palestinian Authority to help alleviate the suffering of Gazan people by lifting the sanctions imposed on them.
Poverty
Al-Kurd said that 80% of Gaza’s population live in poverty 65% of whom live below the poverty line while three quarters of the population needs urgent relief aid which is no longer available.
Unemployment rate in Gaza reached 50% while the percentage of children with anemia and malnutrition jumped to 40%. Nearly 17000 orphans no longer receive their financial guarantees and there are 50000 people with disabilities who need treatment and rehabilitation.
Health sector
Al-Kurd explained that the health sector in Gaza is going through a serious phase that led to the death of many patients due to the lack of treatment or because they were prevented from travelling for treatment. He pointed out that there are 230 types of medicines missing in Gaza hospitals.
Hundreds of medical devices have been broken for a long time as the Israeli occupation authorities prevent the entry of spare parts for maintenance into Gaza. About 13000 cancer patients need urgent treatment abroad while thousands of citizens most of whom are poor suffer from chronic diseases.
Al-Kurd pointed to the difficulties faced by health institutions in Gaza in light of the worsening power crisis and the lack of fuel that operates these institutions.
Environmental and industrial sectors
The Palestinian official said that the percentage of non-potable water in Gaza reached 95% adding that 150000 cubic meters of sewage are pumped daily into land and sea since Gaza’s sewage pumps are shut down due to the power crisis.
According to al-Kurd 80% of the factories were closed either completely or partially. Moreover the Gaza Strip suffers direct and indirect losses of $250 million annually.
Academic institutions
Al-Kurd pointed out that 10000 university graduates every year do not find permanent or temporary work opportunities.
He added that 80% of school students come from poor families and suffer from malnutrition and that employees in the education sector do not receive their full salaries. In addition to this 85% of university students are unable to pay their fees.
Gaza reconstruction
Al-Kurd said that Israel imposes strict restrictions on the entry of building materials into Gaza. According to the charity coalition 40% of the houses destroyed in the 2014 war have not been reconstructed yet.
He continued that Gazans suffer 12-20 hour power outages per day noting that the power deficit amounted to 270 MW.
Due to the power crisis 31 Gazans were burned to death including 23 children because of the use of candles and unsecured lighting tools.
Al-Kurd said that Rafah crossing was opened only 21 days during 2017 and asked the Egyptian authorities to reopen the crossing on a continuous basis and facilitate the movement of passengers and the entry of aid and goods into Gaza.
He affirmed that all Gaza commercial crossings are completely closed except for Karem Abu Salem pointing out that Israel prevents the entry of 400 types of goods into Gaza.
He also highlighted the travel ban orders issued against many patients and merchants and the arbitrary arrest campaigns targeting the Palestinian passengers passing through Beit Hanoun crossing.
The charity coalition called on Arab Islamic and international humanitarian organizations to launch an urgent campaign to rescue the people of Gaza and asked the concerned media outlets to support this campaign.
