28 jan 2015
Palestinian Minister of Public Works and Housing Mufid Husayneh said that UNRWA has sent letters to donor countries asking them to fulfill their financial pledges made during Gaza reconstruction conference in Cairo.
Speaking to Anatolia News Agency, Husayneh revealed that his ministry made contacts with UNRWA and European diplomatic envoys to discuss ways to accelerate Gaza reconstruction and to pressure donor countries to fulfill their financial pledges made during Gaza reconstruction conference in Cairo.
"We have no option to help those affected by Israeli aggression but pressuring the donor countries to fulfill their pledges", he said.
In October 2014, a donor conference in Cairo to raise money to rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel's summer aggression on Gaza ended with pledges of $5.4 billion for reconstruction purposes.
The minister called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene and to take practical steps in this matter before it is too late.
He warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza Strip after UNRWA’s decision to suspend its cash assistance program in Gaza to tens of thousands of homeless people for rental subsidies.
Earlier Tuesday, UNRWA declared that it has been forced to suspend its cash assistance program in Gaza to tens of thousands of people for repairs to damaged and destroyed homes and for rental subsidies to the homeless.
UNRWA said that it only received US$135 million out of US$720 million in pledges, leaving a shortfall of US$585 million. “While some funds remain available to begin the reconstruction of totally destroyed homes, UNRWA has exhausted all funding to support repairs and rental subsidies.”
The Housing minister pointed out that nearly 16,000 homeless people are currently living in 28 shelters in very difficult living conditions.
According to UN data, Israel's summer war on Gaza caused the displacement of approximately 100 thousand Palestinians, mostly are renting accommodation or staying with relatives, while about 15 thousand others are using UNRWA schools as “shelter” centers.
On July 7, Israel carried out a bloody aggression on Gaza Strip that lasted for 51 days, killing more than two thousand Palestinians, and wounding about 11 thousand others, while 28,366 homes were partially or totally destroyed.
Speaking to Anatolia News Agency, Husayneh revealed that his ministry made contacts with UNRWA and European diplomatic envoys to discuss ways to accelerate Gaza reconstruction and to pressure donor countries to fulfill their financial pledges made during Gaza reconstruction conference in Cairo.
"We have no option to help those affected by Israeli aggression but pressuring the donor countries to fulfill their pledges", he said.
In October 2014, a donor conference in Cairo to raise money to rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel's summer aggression on Gaza ended with pledges of $5.4 billion for reconstruction purposes.
The minister called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene and to take practical steps in this matter before it is too late.
He warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza Strip after UNRWA’s decision to suspend its cash assistance program in Gaza to tens of thousands of homeless people for rental subsidies.
Earlier Tuesday, UNRWA declared that it has been forced to suspend its cash assistance program in Gaza to tens of thousands of people for repairs to damaged and destroyed homes and for rental subsidies to the homeless.
UNRWA said that it only received US$135 million out of US$720 million in pledges, leaving a shortfall of US$585 million. “While some funds remain available to begin the reconstruction of totally destroyed homes, UNRWA has exhausted all funding to support repairs and rental subsidies.”
The Housing minister pointed out that nearly 16,000 homeless people are currently living in 28 shelters in very difficult living conditions.
According to UN data, Israel's summer war on Gaza caused the displacement of approximately 100 thousand Palestinians, mostly are renting accommodation or staying with relatives, while about 15 thousand others are using UNRWA schools as “shelter” centers.
On July 7, Israel carried out a bloody aggression on Gaza Strip that lasted for 51 days, killing more than two thousand Palestinians, and wounding about 11 thousand others, while 28,366 homes were partially or totally destroyed.
Israeli troops stationed across the borders with the Gaza Strip opened fire, Wednesday morning, at Palestinian fields east of Khan Younis.
Witnesses said, according to Ma'an, that the Israeli soldiers fired machine guns at agricultural lands in the outskirts of al-Fukhkhari village. No injuries or casualties were reported.
According to WAFA correspondence, soldiers opened indiscriminate fire, forcing farmers who were tending to their crops to flee, in a flagrant and continuous violation of the ceasefire deal that ended the latest deadly Israeli onslaught on the war-torn coastal enclave.
Israeli Forces routinely open fire on Palestinian farmers and other civilians if they approach large tracts of borderline land that Israeli forces have deemed off-limits to Palestinians, as well as on fishing boats sailing within the six-nautical-miles zone.
The buffer zone extends between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land lie within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gaza residents.
The ceasefire deal of August 26, 2014, stipulated that Israel would immediately ease the blockade imposed on the strip and expand the fishing zone off Gaza's coast, but it has failed to do so.
Continuing the Cairo-brokered talks on the other key issues was repeatedly postponed in the wake of November attacks against Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.
Witnesses said, according to Ma'an, that the Israeli soldiers fired machine guns at agricultural lands in the outskirts of al-Fukhkhari village. No injuries or casualties were reported.
According to WAFA correspondence, soldiers opened indiscriminate fire, forcing farmers who were tending to their crops to flee, in a flagrant and continuous violation of the ceasefire deal that ended the latest deadly Israeli onslaught on the war-torn coastal enclave.
Israeli Forces routinely open fire on Palestinian farmers and other civilians if they approach large tracts of borderline land that Israeli forces have deemed off-limits to Palestinians, as well as on fishing boats sailing within the six-nautical-miles zone.
The buffer zone extends between 500 meters and 1500 meters into the Strip, effectively turning local farms into no-go zones.
According to UNOCHA, 17 percent of Gaza's total land area and 35 percent of its agricultural land lie within the buffer zone as of 2010, directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of more than 100,000 Gaza residents.
The ceasefire deal of August 26, 2014, stipulated that Israel would immediately ease the blockade imposed on the strip and expand the fishing zone off Gaza's coast, but it has failed to do so.
Continuing the Cairo-brokered talks on the other key issues was repeatedly postponed in the wake of November attacks against Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.
Palestinians sleep in the yard of a UN school in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, summer 2014
Palestinians angry at their deterorating living conditions in the Gaza Strip stormed the United Nations headquarters to protest UNRWA’s announcement to suspend its cash assistance program for the homeless families.
Anadolu news agency reported, according to WAFA, that angry Palestinians demonstrated opposite to the UNRWA headquarters, which houses other UN agencies’ offices, burning tires, and proceeding to storm the headquarter, throwing stones at the compound’s gate and smashing its windows.
Organized by the National Commission for Breaking the Blockade and Reconstruction, the protest saw hundreds of homeless Palestinians condemning UNRWA’s announcement that it could not afford to fund repairing tens of thousands of houses demolished or destroyed during the latest deadly Israeli onslaught on the strip.
“The international community and Arab states who pledged to fund Gaza reconstruction are fully responsible for any consequences that could happen as a result of the UN agency’s decision,” said Spokesperson for the Commission Adham Abu Salmia.
Abu Salmia called on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Palestinian Authority to take an immediate action to save Gaza from this catastrophic situation.
Israel waged its latest onslaught on the Gaza Strip throughout the summer of 2014. During the time, over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, mostly unarmed civilians, while another 11,000 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health.
Arab and world countries pledged to offer $5.4 billion; half of it to reconstruct the Gaza Stripand the other to meet the needs of Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority’s budget.
Palestinians angry at their deterorating living conditions in the Gaza Strip stormed the United Nations headquarters to protest UNRWA’s announcement to suspend its cash assistance program for the homeless families.
Anadolu news agency reported, according to WAFA, that angry Palestinians demonstrated opposite to the UNRWA headquarters, which houses other UN agencies’ offices, burning tires, and proceeding to storm the headquarter, throwing stones at the compound’s gate and smashing its windows.
Organized by the National Commission for Breaking the Blockade and Reconstruction, the protest saw hundreds of homeless Palestinians condemning UNRWA’s announcement that it could not afford to fund repairing tens of thousands of houses demolished or destroyed during the latest deadly Israeli onslaught on the strip.
“The international community and Arab states who pledged to fund Gaza reconstruction are fully responsible for any consequences that could happen as a result of the UN agency’s decision,” said Spokesperson for the Commission Adham Abu Salmia.
Abu Salmia called on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Palestinian Authority to take an immediate action to save Gaza from this catastrophic situation.
Israel waged its latest onslaught on the Gaza Strip throughout the summer of 2014. During the time, over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, mostly unarmed civilians, while another 11,000 were injured, according to the Ministry of Health.
Arab and world countries pledged to offer $5.4 billion; half of it to reconstruct the Gaza Stripand the other to meet the needs of Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority’s budget.
27 jan 2015
Israeli forces, Tuesday morning, fired at Palestinian agricultural lands across the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, witnesses said.
Witnesses told Ma'an News Agency that several Israeli military vehicles stationed near a gate on the border fence, east of Khan Younis, opened fire several times toward Palestinian fields on the other side of the border. No injuries have been reported.
The farmers were forced to leave their fields.
On Monday night Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Gaza City. A boat sank and four fishermen who were on board were detained by the Israeli navy.
Israeli attacks on farmers are ongoing, as with fishermen.
Witnesses told Ma'an News Agency that several Israeli military vehicles stationed near a gate on the border fence, east of Khan Younis, opened fire several times toward Palestinian fields on the other side of the border. No injuries have been reported.
The farmers were forced to leave their fields.
On Monday night Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Gaza City. A boat sank and four fishermen who were on board were detained by the Israeli navy.
Israeli attacks on farmers are ongoing, as with fishermen.
A group of 63 influential MEPs have called on EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the main treaty between the EU and Israel.
The unique cross-party initiative is the first time so many MEPs have called for such tough measures against Israel since its massacre of more than 2,300 Palestinians in Gaza last summer.
“Amnesty International and Palestinian organisations have documented that Israel deliberately targeted civilians and committed other war crimes during its recent onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza. These are serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law that cannot be tolerated,” the MEPs from the 5 biggest parties in the European Parliament stated.
“We call on the Commission to consider the suspension of Association Agreement with Israel unless Israel takes substantial and immediate steps to bring its conduct in line with international law,” the MEPs demand.
The letter echoes an appeal made in November by more than 300 human rights groups, trade unions and political parties from across Europe, who wrote to Mogherini to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, facilitates largely unrestricted trade between the EU and Israel and allows Israel to participate in a wide range of the Union’s programs.
“Furthermore, the EU’s lack of substantial action with regards to Israel appears out of step with the speed at which it has implemented restrictive measures on Russia with regards to the Ukraine crisis in recent months, as well as the restrictive measures implemented against more than 30 other countries,” the letter adds.
The EU has issued some of its strongest ever criticisms of Israel since its latest attack on Gaza but is yet to take any substantial measures to hold it to account, although it is understood the EU is currently not willing to upgrade relations with Israel in any way.
In June 2013 the EU announced a ban on its funds being awarded to illegal Israeli settlements, and in 2014 it coordinated member states to issue a statement warning businesses about the legal and political risks associated with doing business in illegal Israeli settlements.
Campaigners say these steps are welcome but that tougher steps such as a ban on economic relations with illegal Israeli settlements and a ban on arms exports to Israel are needed to apply real pressure on Israel to comply with international law.
In September last year Palestinian civil society organisations wrote to former EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, arguing that “Israel’s war crimes and its sabotage of every effort to reach a just peace based on UN resolutions must lead to effective and substantial, not just cosmetic, consequences.”
Read the full letter here.[PDF]
The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) - founded in 1986 is a network of 52 European committees, organizations, NGOs, unions and international solidarity movements from 22 European countries, dedicated to the struggle of the Palestinian people for freedom, justice and equality.
The unique cross-party initiative is the first time so many MEPs have called for such tough measures against Israel since its massacre of more than 2,300 Palestinians in Gaza last summer.
“Amnesty International and Palestinian organisations have documented that Israel deliberately targeted civilians and committed other war crimes during its recent onslaught against Palestinians in Gaza. These are serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law that cannot be tolerated,” the MEPs from the 5 biggest parties in the European Parliament stated.
“We call on the Commission to consider the suspension of Association Agreement with Israel unless Israel takes substantial and immediate steps to bring its conduct in line with international law,” the MEPs demand.
The letter echoes an appeal made in November by more than 300 human rights groups, trade unions and political parties from across Europe, who wrote to Mogherini to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000, facilitates largely unrestricted trade between the EU and Israel and allows Israel to participate in a wide range of the Union’s programs.
“Furthermore, the EU’s lack of substantial action with regards to Israel appears out of step with the speed at which it has implemented restrictive measures on Russia with regards to the Ukraine crisis in recent months, as well as the restrictive measures implemented against more than 30 other countries,” the letter adds.
The EU has issued some of its strongest ever criticisms of Israel since its latest attack on Gaza but is yet to take any substantial measures to hold it to account, although it is understood the EU is currently not willing to upgrade relations with Israel in any way.
In June 2013 the EU announced a ban on its funds being awarded to illegal Israeli settlements, and in 2014 it coordinated member states to issue a statement warning businesses about the legal and political risks associated with doing business in illegal Israeli settlements.
Campaigners say these steps are welcome but that tougher steps such as a ban on economic relations with illegal Israeli settlements and a ban on arms exports to Israel are needed to apply real pressure on Israel to comply with international law.
In September last year Palestinian civil society organisations wrote to former EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to demand the suspension of the EU-Israel association agreement, arguing that “Israel’s war crimes and its sabotage of every effort to reach a just peace based on UN resolutions must lead to effective and substantial, not just cosmetic, consequences.”
Read the full letter here.[PDF]
The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) - founded in 1986 is a network of 52 European committees, organizations, NGOs, unions and international solidarity movements from 22 European countries, dedicated to the struggle of the Palestinian people for freedom, justice and equality.
Ministry of Agriculture in Gaza demanded the protection of Palestinian fishermen. It condemned the latest Israeli aggressive action of kidnapping four fishermen and sinking their boat on Tuesday, to the north of Gaza city.
The ministry said, in a statement, the Israeli occupation bears the responsibility of the lives of the four kidnapped Palestinians. It also demanded their immediate release along with returning back the boats and other fishing tools that have been lately confiscated.
The statement said Israel has been harassing the Gazan people over the only source of living left for them.
The ministry called on the international and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to provide protection for Palestinian fishermen in Gaza.
The statement also referred to the daily violations and tightening measures of the Israeli occupation in Gaza. It mentioned firing machineguns at the fishing boats, arresting fishermen, bargaining them to work as agents for Israel and preventing them of fishing, which all run contrary to human rights.
“The Israeli occupation authority by its daily aggressive actions confirms the continuation of naval blockade on Gaza Strip. International campaigns for lifting the siege on Gaza is a must”, the statement said.
The ministry pointed out that 48,500 Palestinians depend on fishing as the only source of living.
The ministry said, in a statement, the Israeli occupation bears the responsibility of the lives of the four kidnapped Palestinians. It also demanded their immediate release along with returning back the boats and other fishing tools that have been lately confiscated.
The statement said Israel has been harassing the Gazan people over the only source of living left for them.
The ministry called on the international and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to provide protection for Palestinian fishermen in Gaza.
The statement also referred to the daily violations and tightening measures of the Israeli occupation in Gaza. It mentioned firing machineguns at the fishing boats, arresting fishermen, bargaining them to work as agents for Israel and preventing them of fishing, which all run contrary to human rights.
“The Israeli occupation authority by its daily aggressive actions confirms the continuation of naval blockade on Gaza Strip. International campaigns for lifting the siege on Gaza is a must”, the statement said.
The ministry pointed out that 48,500 Palestinians depend on fishing as the only source of living.
The electoral victory of the left-wing Syriza party in Greece has aroused Israel's fears over its relations with Athens, especially after its pro-Palestinian chief Alexis Tsipras became the new prime minister of the country.
Although the Israeli government congratulated Syriza on winning the parliamentary elections, different Israeli newspapers talked about internal fears that Israel's security relations with Greece could be affected.
Israeli writer Itamar Eichner said on Yedioth Ahronoth website that Greece had helped Israel obstruct the arrival of Freedom Flotilla aid convoys to the Gaza Strip to break the blockade, but such cooperation might come to an end after Tsipras, who accused Israel of killing children during its 2014 war on Gaza, became the prime minister.
The writer added that Israel has reasons for its concern over its relations with Greece, whose radical left-wing party Syriza had organized during the last war on Gaza several protests against Israel.
During one of those protests, head of the party Alexis Tsipras, the new premier, condemned the world's silence on Israel's killing of children in Gaza as "unacceptable", and called on the world to express its solidarity with the Palestinians, Eichner noted.
Although the Israeli government congratulated Syriza on winning the parliamentary elections, different Israeli newspapers talked about internal fears that Israel's security relations with Greece could be affected.
Israeli writer Itamar Eichner said on Yedioth Ahronoth website that Greece had helped Israel obstruct the arrival of Freedom Flotilla aid convoys to the Gaza Strip to break the blockade, but such cooperation might come to an end after Tsipras, who accused Israel of killing children during its 2014 war on Gaza, became the prime minister.
The writer added that Israel has reasons for its concern over its relations with Greece, whose radical left-wing party Syriza had organized during the last war on Gaza several protests against Israel.
During one of those protests, head of the party Alexis Tsipras, the new premier, condemned the world's silence on Israel's killing of children in Gaza as "unacceptable", and called on the world to express its solidarity with the Palestinians, Eichner noted.
Director of Hamas's foreign affairs Osama Hamdan said that his Movement asked the Egyptian side to contact the Israelis to resume the indirect ceasefire talks.
In an interview with al-Aqsa satellite channel on Monday, Hamdan stated that his Movement also urged Egypt to work on opening border crossings with Gaza and providing a chance for its reconstruction.
The Hamas official also reiterated his Movement's position on the unity government, saying the government had not assumed its responsibilities well since its formation, but it would be given another opportunity to reconsider its policies.
He stressed that the government of Rami al-Hamdallah is a national consensus government and does not belong to Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamdan also slammed the Palestinian Authority for monopolizing the decision-making process regarding the fate and future of the Palestinian people.
"It is no longer acceptable to let an individual or a group of people monopolize the Palestinian cause."
Talking briefly about the Movement's regional relations, Hamdan said Hamas is keen on having good relations with Saudi Arabia, and pointed out that the existing contacts with Hezbollah are always based on its support for the Palestinian resistance against the occupation.
"Hamas does not establish relations with any party against or at the expense of another party, but on the basis of its support for the resistance and the Palestinian cause," he underscored.
In an interview with al-Aqsa satellite channel on Monday, Hamdan stated that his Movement also urged Egypt to work on opening border crossings with Gaza and providing a chance for its reconstruction.
The Hamas official also reiterated his Movement's position on the unity government, saying the government had not assumed its responsibilities well since its formation, but it would be given another opportunity to reconsider its policies.
He stressed that the government of Rami al-Hamdallah is a national consensus government and does not belong to Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamdan also slammed the Palestinian Authority for monopolizing the decision-making process regarding the fate and future of the Palestinian people.
"It is no longer acceptable to let an individual or a group of people monopolize the Palestinian cause."
Talking briefly about the Movement's regional relations, Hamdan said Hamas is keen on having good relations with Saudi Arabia, and pointed out that the existing contacts with Hezbollah are always based on its support for the Palestinian resistance against the occupation.
"Hamas does not establish relations with any party against or at the expense of another party, but on the basis of its support for the resistance and the Palestinian cause," he underscored.
A Palestinian fishing boat drowned, on Monday evening, after Israeli navy ships fired rounds of live ammunition at it in Palestinian waters, west of Gaza city. The soldiers also kidnapped four fishermen.
Eyewitnesses said the navy first fired live rounds at the boat, then used loud speakers ordering the four fishermen on board to jump in the cold water, and swim towards them.
The four were then cuffed and blindfolded, before they were taken to an unknown destination.
The boat belongs to members of the al-Habeel family, for whom fishing is their only source of livelihood.
The attack is one of hundreds of similar assaults and violations carried out by the Israeli army against the Palestinians in the besieged and impoverished coastal region.
The Israeli navy now targets Palestinian fishing boats almost on daily basis, in clear breach of the Egyptian-brokered truce agreement reached on August 26 of last year.
This agreement includes allowing Palestinian fishermen to sail within 6 nautical miles in the Gaza Sea, with an incremental expansion in the allotted area.
In its weekly report for the period between January 15-24, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said Israeli navy forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats 4 times on 17, 18, 20 and 21 January 2015.
Eyewitnesses said the navy first fired live rounds at the boat, then used loud speakers ordering the four fishermen on board to jump in the cold water, and swim towards them.
The four were then cuffed and blindfolded, before they were taken to an unknown destination.
The boat belongs to members of the al-Habeel family, for whom fishing is their only source of livelihood.
The attack is one of hundreds of similar assaults and violations carried out by the Israeli army against the Palestinians in the besieged and impoverished coastal region.
The Israeli navy now targets Palestinian fishing boats almost on daily basis, in clear breach of the Egyptian-brokered truce agreement reached on August 26 of last year.
This agreement includes allowing Palestinian fishermen to sail within 6 nautical miles in the Gaza Sea, with an incremental expansion in the allotted area.
In its weekly report for the period between January 15-24, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said Israeli navy forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats 4 times on 17, 18, 20 and 21 January 2015.
Israeli navy soldiers, Monday, targeted Palestinian fishing boats with a hail of gunfire offshore al-Sudanyeh, northwest of Gaza, according to WAFA correspondence.
An Israeli navy gunboat chased after Palestinian-owned fishing boats, opening fire at them despite being within the six-nautical-mile zone allowed for fishing, causing financial damages to the boats; no injuries were reported.
The fishermen were forced to leave the sea for fear of being killed, injured or arrested.
The Israeli navy now targets Palestinian fishing boats almost on daily basis, in clear breach of the Egyptian-brokered truce agreement reached on August 26 of last year. This agreement includes allowing Palestinian fishermen to sail within 6 nautical miles in the Gaza Sea, with an incremental expansion in the allotted area.
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), subsequent attacks have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, proving that Israeli policies in fact aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip's fishermen and their livelihoods.
The latest Israeli aggression on the Strip has further aggravated the region's already devastated economy as a result of the eight-year-long blockade imposed on it.
The summer conflict destroyed vital infrastructure, including water, sanitary services, schools, medical facilities and thousands of homes.
Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen ‘constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, relevant to the protection of the civilian population and respect for its rights, including every person's right to work, and the right to life, liberty and security of person, as codified in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
An Israeli navy gunboat chased after Palestinian-owned fishing boats, opening fire at them despite being within the six-nautical-mile zone allowed for fishing, causing financial damages to the boats; no injuries were reported.
The fishermen were forced to leave the sea for fear of being killed, injured or arrested.
The Israeli navy now targets Palestinian fishing boats almost on daily basis, in clear breach of the Egyptian-brokered truce agreement reached on August 26 of last year. This agreement includes allowing Palestinian fishermen to sail within 6 nautical miles in the Gaza Sea, with an incremental expansion in the allotted area.
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), subsequent attacks have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, proving that Israeli policies in fact aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip's fishermen and their livelihoods.
The latest Israeli aggression on the Strip has further aggravated the region's already devastated economy as a result of the eight-year-long blockade imposed on it.
The summer conflict destroyed vital infrastructure, including water, sanitary services, schools, medical facilities and thousands of homes.
Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishermen ‘constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, relevant to the protection of the civilian population and respect for its rights, including every person's right to work, and the right to life, liberty and security of person, as codified in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
26 jan 2015
A decisive stance is to be adopted by the UNRWA vis-à-vis the reconstruction of the blockaded Gaza Strip in the next 24 hours, UNRWA’s media spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna said afternoon Sunday.
Abu Hasna said in a statement posted on his Facebook page: “Within the next 24 hours, the UNRWA will opt for a decisive stance regarding the reconstruction of Gaza.”
UNRWA Director of Gaza Operations Robert Turner warned that by the end of January the UNRWA will run out of funds needed for repair and rental subsidies.
Over 96,000 Palestinian refugee homes were damaged or destroyed by last summer’s Israeli military offensive on Gaza, Turner added.
Meanwhile, a sit-in tent was pitched by student blocs at al-Quds Open University in the northern West Bank city of Jenin Sunday in protest at the delay in the Gaza rebuilding process.
The sit-inners waved the Palestinian flag and lifted banners pushing for the launch of the reconstruction process so as to assuage the crises rocking thousands of Gaza’s homeless inhabitants with the advent of a freezing winter in Palestine.
Abu Hasna said in a statement posted on his Facebook page: “Within the next 24 hours, the UNRWA will opt for a decisive stance regarding the reconstruction of Gaza.”
UNRWA Director of Gaza Operations Robert Turner warned that by the end of January the UNRWA will run out of funds needed for repair and rental subsidies.
Over 96,000 Palestinian refugee homes were damaged or destroyed by last summer’s Israeli military offensive on Gaza, Turner added.
Meanwhile, a sit-in tent was pitched by student blocs at al-Quds Open University in the northern West Bank city of Jenin Sunday in protest at the delay in the Gaza rebuilding process.
The sit-inners waved the Palestinian flag and lifted banners pushing for the launch of the reconstruction process so as to assuage the crises rocking thousands of Gaza’s homeless inhabitants with the advent of a freezing winter in Palestine.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) deployed at the Gaza Strip border area east of Khan Younis sprayed Palestinian farmlands and civilian homes with heavy machinegun fire on Monday morning.
The IOF showered Palestinians’ cultivated lands and houses east of Khan Younis, south of the Strip, with randomly-shot volleys of gunfire, locals told the PIC. No injuries have yet been reported.
Observers said the attack is another episode in the series of Israeli violations of the Cairo-brokered truce accord signed in the wake of last summer’s Israeli aggression on the blockaded Gaza Strip that killed over 2,100 Palestinians.
The IOF showered Palestinians’ cultivated lands and houses east of Khan Younis, south of the Strip, with randomly-shot volleys of gunfire, locals told the PIC. No injuries have yet been reported.
Observers said the attack is another episode in the series of Israeli violations of the Cairo-brokered truce accord signed in the wake of last summer’s Israeli aggression on the blockaded Gaza Strip that killed over 2,100 Palestinians.
Truce violations List of names Pictures of martyrs
Days: Aug: 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
July: 31 - 30 - 29 - 28 - 27 - 26 - 25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21 - 20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16 - 15 - 14 - 13 - 12 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 8
