14 oct 2014
ROTTERDAM, A number of European humanitarian relief institutions declared intention to hold next Saturday the first European conference of its kind that focuses on providing shelter and basic human needs to Gazans who were forcibly displaced due to the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza.
The event is going to be held on Saturday, October 18 under the title of “Al-Wafaa Conference: dressing the wounds and re-housing the displaced”. The conference is organized by Al-Wafaa Campaign, in partnership with a number of organizations, with expertise in humanitarian and development work, from various European countries.
The conference will discuss the required response from humanitarian and development organizations in European civil society in providing emergency assistance to the inhabitants, especially in the area of caring for the displaced, sheltering the homeless, and developing an urgent response to medical needs in the aftermath of the Israeli attack, and the blockade imposed upon the Gaza Strip.
Al-Wafa conference will be held a few weeks after the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, in the context of the catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s inhabitants, including extensive homelessness of nearly a quarter of a million people due to the destruction of homes, and the injuries and disabilities inflicted on thousands of civilians.
Currently, shelter represents the urgent demand for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, which necessitates a search for quick and viable options that respond to the needs of those displaced before the start of winter. This requires amassing efforts and mobilizing resources to secure prospects for urgent shelter, quick repair of partially damaged homes, and commencing operations for rehabilitation of homes, residential facilities, civilian infrastructure and roads, according to the statement issued by al-Wafa campaign.
"The growing difficulties in the area of healthcare, following the destruction of medical facilities in the last Israeli attack, and the injuries and disabilities inflicted upon thousands of civilians, impose the need to develop an urgent response to the medical needs of those displaced and affected inhabitants, especially given the blockade, and closure imposed on the Gaza Strip."
In July 2014, Israeli forces launched a military operation against the Gaza Strip, which completely destroyed or partially damaged tens of thousands of residential buildings, in addition to massive damage to infrastructure in towns, villages, and refugee camps. Around a quarter of a million Palestinians found themselves without shelter in an already overpopulated Gaza Strip, bursting with inhabitants; the majority of them refugees without the resources essential for life.
The event is going to be held on Saturday, October 18 under the title of “Al-Wafaa Conference: dressing the wounds and re-housing the displaced”. The conference is organized by Al-Wafaa Campaign, in partnership with a number of organizations, with expertise in humanitarian and development work, from various European countries.
The conference will discuss the required response from humanitarian and development organizations in European civil society in providing emergency assistance to the inhabitants, especially in the area of caring for the displaced, sheltering the homeless, and developing an urgent response to medical needs in the aftermath of the Israeli attack, and the blockade imposed upon the Gaza Strip.
Al-Wafa conference will be held a few weeks after the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, in the context of the catastrophic consequences for Gaza’s inhabitants, including extensive homelessness of nearly a quarter of a million people due to the destruction of homes, and the injuries and disabilities inflicted on thousands of civilians.
Currently, shelter represents the urgent demand for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, which necessitates a search for quick and viable options that respond to the needs of those displaced before the start of winter. This requires amassing efforts and mobilizing resources to secure prospects for urgent shelter, quick repair of partially damaged homes, and commencing operations for rehabilitation of homes, residential facilities, civilian infrastructure and roads, according to the statement issued by al-Wafa campaign.
"The growing difficulties in the area of healthcare, following the destruction of medical facilities in the last Israeli attack, and the injuries and disabilities inflicted upon thousands of civilians, impose the need to develop an urgent response to the medical needs of those displaced and affected inhabitants, especially given the blockade, and closure imposed on the Gaza Strip."
In July 2014, Israeli forces launched a military operation against the Gaza Strip, which completely destroyed or partially damaged tens of thousands of residential buildings, in addition to massive damage to infrastructure in towns, villages, and refugee camps. Around a quarter of a million Palestinians found themselves without shelter in an already overpopulated Gaza Strip, bursting with inhabitants; the majority of them refugees without the resources essential for life.
Head of the Foreign Relations Department of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, Osama Hamdan said that Gaza reconstruction would be a real test for the Palestinian unity government’s commitment towards the Palestinian reconciliation agreement. Hamdan said Tuesday in a press statement that Hamas will make all possible efforts for Gaza reconstruction, calling on Palestinian national factions especially Fatah movement to take part in the process.
According to Hamdan, Gaza reconstruction is the price the international community pays for its silence over Israeli recurrent aggression on the Strip.
If the international community had taken a firm position towards Israeli escalated attacks, it would not be obliged to shell out this heavy price, he added.
Hamdan refused to link between the reconstruction process and security in the region, saying that such a link would mean siding by the Israeli offensive on the Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Hamdan, Gaza reconstruction is the price the international community pays for its silence over Israeli recurrent aggression on the Strip.
If the international community had taken a firm position towards Israeli escalated attacks, it would not be obliged to shell out this heavy price, he added.
Hamdan refused to link between the reconstruction process and security in the region, saying that such a link would mean siding by the Israeli offensive on the Palestinians in Gaza.
Hamas on Tuesday urged the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to implement serious measures to assuage the Gaza crisis, dubbing Moon’s stopover in the Strip insufficient. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Tuesday, in an exclusive statement to the PIC, though on-the-spot visits are crucial to assess the actual state of affairs in the Gaza Strip, these are nonetheless “not enough” and require to eventually culminate in the implementation of practical measures.
“Moon saw with his own eyes the notorious Israeli massacre in Rafah city,” Abu Zuhri declared, calling on Moon to atone for his “mistakes” and pro-Israel positions by bringing his double standards and two-faced stances to a standstill.
Hamas’s statement came after Ban Ki-moon arrived in Gaza on Tuesday, for a visit that has been one of its kind since 2012, to check up the extent of damage wrought on the blockaded Gaza Strip by the notorious Israeli 51-day offensive, which took away the lives of at least 2100 Palestinians and left some 11,000 wounded. An estimated 20,000 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in the process.
As he was driven through the ruins of Gaza city, Moon told reporters that the devastation he had seen was far worse than that caused in the previous Gaza conflict of winter 2008-2009
"I am here with a heavy heart," Moon told a news conference attended by deputy PM Ziad Abu Amr. "The destruction which I have seen coming here is beyond description," he added, calling for an immediate lifting of the Gaza blockade.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to the people who lost their loved ones,” he said.
"We stand by you, the international community supports your government's efforts to assume the security and governance responsibility in Gaza," Moon said of the unity cabinet, adding: “Today’s meeting with ministers of the consensus government gives me a feeling that there is one single Palestine.”
For his part, deputy PM Ziad Abu Amr hailed Moon and the UN for having stood by the Palestinians and provided shelters for hundreds of homeless families.
Talks with Ban Ki-Moon on the performance of the unity government, Gaza employees, the siege, and the reconstruction process have been underway, Amr further revealed, declaring: “Security and stability in Palestine and the entire region can only see the day with the end of the Israeli occupation.”
“Moon saw with his own eyes the notorious Israeli massacre in Rafah city,” Abu Zuhri declared, calling on Moon to atone for his “mistakes” and pro-Israel positions by bringing his double standards and two-faced stances to a standstill.
Hamas’s statement came after Ban Ki-moon arrived in Gaza on Tuesday, for a visit that has been one of its kind since 2012, to check up the extent of damage wrought on the blockaded Gaza Strip by the notorious Israeli 51-day offensive, which took away the lives of at least 2100 Palestinians and left some 11,000 wounded. An estimated 20,000 homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in the process.
As he was driven through the ruins of Gaza city, Moon told reporters that the devastation he had seen was far worse than that caused in the previous Gaza conflict of winter 2008-2009
"I am here with a heavy heart," Moon told a news conference attended by deputy PM Ziad Abu Amr. "The destruction which I have seen coming here is beyond description," he added, calling for an immediate lifting of the Gaza blockade.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to the people who lost their loved ones,” he said.
"We stand by you, the international community supports your government's efforts to assume the security and governance responsibility in Gaza," Moon said of the unity cabinet, adding: “Today’s meeting with ministers of the consensus government gives me a feeling that there is one single Palestine.”
For his part, deputy PM Ziad Abu Amr hailed Moon and the UN for having stood by the Palestinians and provided shelters for hundreds of homeless families.
Talks with Ban Ki-Moon on the performance of the unity government, Gaza employees, the siege, and the reconstruction process have been underway, Amr further revealed, declaring: “Security and stability in Palestine and the entire region can only see the day with the end of the Israeli occupation.”
13 oct 2014
United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced, on Monday, $414 million in US assistance to the Palestinians.
This will include more than $212 million that will be delivered through USAID, according to the PNN.
Of this, some $75 million will go to relief and early recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip. $100 million will support the budgetary needs of the Palestinian Authority, including financial support to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. $37 million is meant to further strengthen PA institutions, support economic growth, provide health and humanitarian assistance, and additionally build up West Bank infrastructure and water resources.
Secretary Kerry’s announcement also reportedly includes $118 million in Gaza assistance, announced in July and September by Kerry, and providing critical humanitarian aid to include food, water, shelter and medical supplies to the population of the Gaza Strip.
This figure included $74 million in contributions to UNRWA’s Gaza Flash Appeal, $36.4 in USAID assistance, and $7.7 million to other international partners.
Another $84 million was provided to UNRWA in addressing other emergency needs in the West Bank and Gaza.
PNN additionally reports that, according to the Congressional Research Service’s report “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel,” US President Barrack Obama's administration gave $3.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing to Israel, for the Fiscal Year 2014.
Additionally, the United States also contributed $504 million to the joint US-Israel Missile Defense Program, during the Fiscal Year.
With this added figure, American taxpayers give Israel some $9.9 million per day. Thus, "Operation Protective Edge" was mainly sponsored by American financial and military support.
This will include more than $212 million that will be delivered through USAID, according to the PNN.
Of this, some $75 million will go to relief and early recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip. $100 million will support the budgetary needs of the Palestinian Authority, including financial support to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. $37 million is meant to further strengthen PA institutions, support economic growth, provide health and humanitarian assistance, and additionally build up West Bank infrastructure and water resources.
Secretary Kerry’s announcement also reportedly includes $118 million in Gaza assistance, announced in July and September by Kerry, and providing critical humanitarian aid to include food, water, shelter and medical supplies to the population of the Gaza Strip.
This figure included $74 million in contributions to UNRWA’s Gaza Flash Appeal, $36.4 in USAID assistance, and $7.7 million to other international partners.
Another $84 million was provided to UNRWA in addressing other emergency needs in the West Bank and Gaza.
PNN additionally reports that, according to the Congressional Research Service’s report “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel,” US President Barrack Obama's administration gave $3.1 billion in Foreign Military Financing to Israel, for the Fiscal Year 2014.
Additionally, the United States also contributed $504 million to the joint US-Israel Missile Defense Program, during the Fiscal Year.
With this added figure, American taxpayers give Israel some $9.9 million per day. Thus, "Operation Protective Edge" was mainly sponsored by American financial and military support.
Global donors pledged several billions of dollars in aid to the devastated Gaza Strip, on Sunday, despite warnings that the coastal enclave remained a "tinderbox", following Israel's relentless bombardament of the region and a fragile ceasefire still in effect.
According to AFP, Washington promised $212 million in new funds at the Cario conference, to meet what US Secretary of State John Kerry described as an "enormous" challenge in Gaza.
Foreign Minister of Qatar, Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, promised $1 billion in reconstruction aid, while Kuwait and the UAE pledged $200 million each. Germany pledged $63 million, and Norway about $13 million.
Palestinian officials had asked for up to $4 billion, yet according to Norway's Foreign Minister, international envoys pledged about $5.4 billion in total reconstruction aid.
"The participants pledged approximately $5.4 billion," said FM Boerge Brende, in his closing statement at the conference, which Norway co-hosted.
The donors "committed themselves to start disbursing their assistance as soon as possible," he went on to say.
"Letting Gaza fester while leaving the parties to their own devices is the surest way for setting ourselves up for another round of war another year or two down the road," Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende told the conference.
"The missing political framework is urgently needed, and our message to donors is clear: 'There is no more time to lose'."
Half of the pledges are designated for reconstruction and the rest as unspecified aid to the Palestinian Authority, according to Brende.
No date has yet been set for the beginning of the reconstruction process in Gaza, Yasir al-Wadiya, a PLO leader and participant in the conference told Ma'an, Sunday.
He said that, despite the lack of a set date, the wheels are in motion for the rebuilding to begin:
"What was presented today (in Cairo) were the premises for reconstruction during the coming periods," al-Wadiya said.
"All estimates are positive, and we talked with all parties concerning the urgent steps that need to be taken before winter."
He added that the full implementation of the recent reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fateh would guarantee reconstruction, and called on Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to "stay in Gaza because his tasks are big, and his responsibility is even bigger."
Mr. Hamdallah and his unity government held their first ever meeting in Gaza, this Thursday, ahead of the conference, as Israeli officials had previously denied visting permits to the government's West Bank-based ministers.
President Mahmoud Abbas met with US Secretary of State John Kerry, following the Cairo conference, during which the two discussed international efforts for rebuilding Gaza and reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Other Palestinian officials were present at the meeting as well, including chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeineh, the head of the Palestinian Authority's central intelligence, Majid Farraj, and Ambassador to Cairo Jamal al-Shoubaki, according to Ma'an.
AFP reported earlier that, in his meeting with Abbas, Mr. Kerry was expected to try to dissuade him from seeking further recognition of the Palestinians at the United Nations, including joining the International Criminal Court.
Earlier, during the conference, Kerry urged renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, stating that both sides needed to be helped to make "tough choices" for lasting stability.
"The people of Gaza do need our help, desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, they need it now," hetold the gathering of some 30 global envoys and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who expressed the fears of many when he told the conference the situation in Gaza remained potentially explosive.
"Gaza remains a tinderbox; the people desperately need to see results in their daily lives," he said.
Kerry said the new aid brought Washington's contribution to helping Gaza to more than $400 million over the last year alone, but there were repeated concerns about donor funds going to waste without new efforts at a long-term solution.
This summer's conflict saw nearly 2,200 Palestinians killed, most of whom were civilians, while attacks by Gaza resistance fighters killed 73 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The Israeli assault left the densely populated coastal enclave in ruins, displacing more than a quarter of Gaza's population (some 1.7 million) and leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.
Israel and the Hamas party have yet to even translate their temporary August truce into a long-term ceasefire, according to Ma'an correspondence.
According to AFP, Washington promised $212 million in new funds at the Cario conference, to meet what US Secretary of State John Kerry described as an "enormous" challenge in Gaza.
Foreign Minister of Qatar, Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, promised $1 billion in reconstruction aid, while Kuwait and the UAE pledged $200 million each. Germany pledged $63 million, and Norway about $13 million.
Palestinian officials had asked for up to $4 billion, yet according to Norway's Foreign Minister, international envoys pledged about $5.4 billion in total reconstruction aid.
"The participants pledged approximately $5.4 billion," said FM Boerge Brende, in his closing statement at the conference, which Norway co-hosted.
The donors "committed themselves to start disbursing their assistance as soon as possible," he went on to say.
"Letting Gaza fester while leaving the parties to their own devices is the surest way for setting ourselves up for another round of war another year or two down the road," Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende told the conference.
"The missing political framework is urgently needed, and our message to donors is clear: 'There is no more time to lose'."
Half of the pledges are designated for reconstruction and the rest as unspecified aid to the Palestinian Authority, according to Brende.
No date has yet been set for the beginning of the reconstruction process in Gaza, Yasir al-Wadiya, a PLO leader and participant in the conference told Ma'an, Sunday.
He said that, despite the lack of a set date, the wheels are in motion for the rebuilding to begin:
"What was presented today (in Cairo) were the premises for reconstruction during the coming periods," al-Wadiya said.
"All estimates are positive, and we talked with all parties concerning the urgent steps that need to be taken before winter."
He added that the full implementation of the recent reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fateh would guarantee reconstruction, and called on Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to "stay in Gaza because his tasks are big, and his responsibility is even bigger."
Mr. Hamdallah and his unity government held their first ever meeting in Gaza, this Thursday, ahead of the conference, as Israeli officials had previously denied visting permits to the government's West Bank-based ministers.
President Mahmoud Abbas met with US Secretary of State John Kerry, following the Cairo conference, during which the two discussed international efforts for rebuilding Gaza and reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Other Palestinian officials were present at the meeting as well, including chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeineh, the head of the Palestinian Authority's central intelligence, Majid Farraj, and Ambassador to Cairo Jamal al-Shoubaki, according to Ma'an.
AFP reported earlier that, in his meeting with Abbas, Mr. Kerry was expected to try to dissuade him from seeking further recognition of the Palestinians at the United Nations, including joining the International Criminal Court.
Earlier, during the conference, Kerry urged renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, stating that both sides needed to be helped to make "tough choices" for lasting stability.
"The people of Gaza do need our help, desperately, not tomorrow, not next week, they need it now," hetold the gathering of some 30 global envoys and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who expressed the fears of many when he told the conference the situation in Gaza remained potentially explosive.
"Gaza remains a tinderbox; the people desperately need to see results in their daily lives," he said.
Kerry said the new aid brought Washington's contribution to helping Gaza to more than $400 million over the last year alone, but there were repeated concerns about donor funds going to waste without new efforts at a long-term solution.
This summer's conflict saw nearly 2,200 Palestinians killed, most of whom were civilians, while attacks by Gaza resistance fighters killed 73 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The Israeli assault left the densely populated coastal enclave in ruins, displacing more than a quarter of Gaza's population (some 1.7 million) and leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.
Israel and the Hamas party have yet to even translate their temporary August truce into a long-term ceasefire, according to Ma'an correspondence.
12 oct 2014
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl on Saturday dubbed the Gaza siege “illegitimate” and called for its immediate lifting. UNRWA Commissioner said in a press release Saturday shortly after he had reached Egypt to partake in the donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Gaza: “[The Gaza siege] is the key-enjeu for the people of Gaza (about 1.9 million persons) and their aspirations.”
Krähenbühl called on the international community to step in and assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis the people of Gaza, whose steadfastness and struggle for survival have turned into sources of optimism for the entire world.
A donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Gaza, to be partaken by 50 countries and 30 foreign ministers along with the UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is set to kick off on Sunday to pledge international funds for the rehabilitation of what has been damaged by the notorious Israeli 51-day offensive on Gaza.
Krähenbühl called on the international community to step in and assume their responsibilities vis-à-vis the people of Gaza, whose steadfastness and struggle for survival have turned into sources of optimism for the entire world.
A donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Gaza, to be partaken by 50 countries and 30 foreign ministers along with the UN’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is set to kick off on Sunday to pledge international funds for the rehabilitation of what has been damaged by the notorious Israeli 51-day offensive on Gaza.
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture struck a joint cooperation deal with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in Cairo for the reconstruction of Gaza’s agricultural sector. The Palestinian minister of agriculture, Shawqi al-Eissa, said in a press release on Sunday the deal aims basically at boosting up cooperation between the signatories due to the huge damage wrought by the latest Israeli offensive on the besieged Strip.
The agricultural sector in Gaza has a key-role and influence on the overall Palestinian economy, al-Eissa further stated, declaring: “We urgently need to cooperate with the international parties who have come to Palestine to partake in the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector, estimated at some 450 million dollars.”
In another development, Gaza’s municipalities on Saturday warned of an impending humanitarian crisis to hit the Strip with the advent of the winter season due to the huge damage inflicted by the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza’s infrastructure.
The Khan Younis and Rafah municipalities, based in southern Gaza, launched a distress signal over the looming crisis and called for an immediate launch of Gaza’s reconstruction.
A wave of low polar air rocked the blockaded Gaza Strip last December, causing huge damage to the infrastructure and leaving hundreds of Palestinian civilian families without roofs over their heads. The former Gaza government estimated the losses at some 64 million dollars.
A donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Gaza is set to kick off Sunday morning to pledge funds for the rehabilitation of the Strip and its damaged infrastructure.
The agricultural sector in Gaza has a key-role and influence on the overall Palestinian economy, al-Eissa further stated, declaring: “We urgently need to cooperate with the international parties who have come to Palestine to partake in the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector, estimated at some 450 million dollars.”
In another development, Gaza’s municipalities on Saturday warned of an impending humanitarian crisis to hit the Strip with the advent of the winter season due to the huge damage inflicted by the latest Israeli aggression on Gaza’s infrastructure.
The Khan Younis and Rafah municipalities, based in southern Gaza, launched a distress signal over the looming crisis and called for an immediate launch of Gaza’s reconstruction.
A wave of low polar air rocked the blockaded Gaza Strip last December, causing huge damage to the infrastructure and leaving hundreds of Palestinian civilian families without roofs over their heads. The former Gaza government estimated the losses at some 64 million dollars.
A donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Gaza is set to kick off Sunday morning to pledge funds for the rehabilitation of the Strip and its damaged infrastructure.
Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haneyya expressed hope that the current conference on Gaza reconstruction in Cairo could be different from previous ones and lead to concrete results on the ground. "Our people do not beg for aid from anyone, but there was a massive destructive war and wide Zionist aggression in Gaza, so the occupation must pay the price for its crimes and the international community has to shoulder its responsibilities towards our people," Haneyya stated in brief remarks on Sunday morning ahead of the international donor conference on Gaza reconstruction.
"We are looking forward to a reconstruction conference different from the previous ones because Gaza did not get anything from the construction funds that had been earmarked during previous conferences," the Hamas official said.
Haneyya also expressed his thanks to Egypt for hosting the conference and hailed its role in supporting the Palestinian cause.
"We are looking forward to a reconstruction conference different from the previous ones because Gaza did not get anything from the construction funds that had been earmarked during previous conferences," the Hamas official said.
Haneyya also expressed his thanks to Egypt for hosting the conference and hailed its role in supporting the Palestinian cause.
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, on Saturday, to attend the Sunday meeting for rebuilding the Gaza Strip which was recently ravaged by Israeli missiles, during the latest offensive on the coastal region. Several world leaders also arrived in Egypt in preparation for the conference.
The conference will be attended by representatives from various countries around the world, while many world leaders have already arrived in Egypt to attend.
Anne Richard, US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Affairs, along with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister - Special Representative for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Adgaard, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama, and Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Teguei, landed in Egypt on Friday.
Officials from several countries will attend the reconstruction conference, along with representatives from around twenty organizations from the region and internationally, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also intends to be present at the conference.
The Israeli army bombarded entire neighborhoods in different parts of the Gaza Strip, in thousands of air strikes, artillery and tanks shellings, and even with missiles fired from Israeli navy boats into this impoverished, most densely populated area in the world.
Palestinians, and various international officials, say that reconstructing Gaza, following the 50-day Israeli assault, requires around $4 billion in aid, while donor states are concerned that, without a solution to the conflict, another war is likely to occur even within a year or two.
Statements from the US indicated that the conference would unlikely be able to procure the requested pledge of $4 billion in aid to rebuild the region. In September, the United States pledged $118 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
With a new interim government in the occupied territories, the Palestinian Authority is hoping to be able to deploy its security forces in the Gaza Strip, in a move that is hoped “to encourage donor countries to fund the reconstruction.”
Tel Aviv will not be participating in the conference, while the U.S. has asked it to “facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza”.
John Kerry plans to hold a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of talking him out of conducting international moves, such as UN applications to end the Israeli occupation, or applications to join more international organizations, in what Kerry describes as “destabilizing international moves”, especially the intention to join the International Criminal Court.
However, the conference will focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, while the US and Saudi Arabia have pledged to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. It is cosponsored by Norway and Egypt, in cooperation with United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union.
Although the US, Israel and a few other countries opposed the Palestinian Unity Government agreement, and reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas, they are hoping that the unity agreement “will enable the Palestinian Security Forces to control Gaza, and take it out of the grip of Hamas”, who garnered an overwhelming victory in the 2006 election.
The newly elected government was almost instantly shunned and isolated, while most elected West Bank legislators and government ministers were kidnapped, and held for an extended period under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial.
Israeli missiles and shells have killed more than 2137 Palestinians, including at least 578 children, 264 women, and 103 elderly, while more than 11100, including 3374 children, 2088 women and 410 elderly, have been injured. Some 67 Israeli soldiers and 3 civilians have been killed, with dozens injured.
The United States provides Israel with billions of dollars in direct security and military aid, in addition to advanced weaponry, joint military drills and direct economic cooperation which, in retrospect, makes it the financier of the ongoing Israeli military occupation, illegitimate settlements and continuous violations against the Palestinian people and their property.
The conference will be attended by representatives from various countries around the world, while many world leaders have already arrived in Egypt to attend.
Anne Richard, US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Affairs, along with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister - Special Representative for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov, UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Adgaard, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yasuhide Nakayama, and Mauritanian Foreign Minister Ahmed Ould Teguei, landed in Egypt on Friday.
Officials from several countries will attend the reconstruction conference, along with representatives from around twenty organizations from the region and internationally, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also intends to be present at the conference.
The Israeli army bombarded entire neighborhoods in different parts of the Gaza Strip, in thousands of air strikes, artillery and tanks shellings, and even with missiles fired from Israeli navy boats into this impoverished, most densely populated area in the world.
Palestinians, and various international officials, say that reconstructing Gaza, following the 50-day Israeli assault, requires around $4 billion in aid, while donor states are concerned that, without a solution to the conflict, another war is likely to occur even within a year or two.
Statements from the US indicated that the conference would unlikely be able to procure the requested pledge of $4 billion in aid to rebuild the region. In September, the United States pledged $118 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
With a new interim government in the occupied territories, the Palestinian Authority is hoping to be able to deploy its security forces in the Gaza Strip, in a move that is hoped “to encourage donor countries to fund the reconstruction.”
Tel Aviv will not be participating in the conference, while the U.S. has asked it to “facilitate humanitarian assistance to Gaza”.
John Kerry plans to hold a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, with the aim of talking him out of conducting international moves, such as UN applications to end the Israeli occupation, or applications to join more international organizations, in what Kerry describes as “destabilizing international moves”, especially the intention to join the International Criminal Court.
However, the conference will focus on the reconstruction of Gaza, while the US and Saudi Arabia have pledged to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. It is cosponsored by Norway and Egypt, in cooperation with United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union.
Although the US, Israel and a few other countries opposed the Palestinian Unity Government agreement, and reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas, they are hoping that the unity agreement “will enable the Palestinian Security Forces to control Gaza, and take it out of the grip of Hamas”, who garnered an overwhelming victory in the 2006 election.
The newly elected government was almost instantly shunned and isolated, while most elected West Bank legislators and government ministers were kidnapped, and held for an extended period under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial.
Israeli missiles and shells have killed more than 2137 Palestinians, including at least 578 children, 264 women, and 103 elderly, while more than 11100, including 3374 children, 2088 women and 410 elderly, have been injured. Some 67 Israeli soldiers and 3 civilians have been killed, with dozens injured.
The United States provides Israel with billions of dollars in direct security and military aid, in addition to advanced weaponry, joint military drills and direct economic cooperation which, in retrospect, makes it the financier of the ongoing Israeli military occupation, illegitimate settlements and continuous violations against the Palestinian people and their property.
Poster Of Arafat Tafesh
Palestinian medical sources in occupied East Jerusalem have reported that a young man died, on Friday, of wounds suffered during the latest Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The man, identified as Arafat Soheil Tafesh, succumbed to his wounds at the al-Maqassed Charitable Islamic Hospital in East Jerusalem.
His father told a Press TV correspondent in Gaza that around 200 Palestinians were also injured in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza when his son was wounded, after the army bombarded it.
The father said his son was first moved to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where the doctors operated on him for several hours, and that the hospital had already been flooded with dozens of wounded Palestinians.
Following a successful resuscitation, the young man’s condition deteriorated again, and he fell into a coma before he was eventually moved to al-Maqassed Hospital, where he died of his wounds.
The father said that he was walking home with his sons, Arafat and Ammar, who were both wounded in the Israeli bombardment when Arafat suffered a very serious injury, and bled heavily before the medics managed to enter the heavily bombarded neighborhood.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that around 2140 Palestinians, including 577 children, were killed in the Israeli onslaught. Over 11,100 others, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women and 410 elderly people were injured.
According to the United Nations, around 400000 children from Gaza require essential psychological care due to Israel’s latest war on Gaza, in addition to its repeated and extensive aggressions since 2006.
Palestinian medical sources in occupied East Jerusalem have reported that a young man died, on Friday, of wounds suffered during the latest Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The man, identified as Arafat Soheil Tafesh, succumbed to his wounds at the al-Maqassed Charitable Islamic Hospital in East Jerusalem.
His father told a Press TV correspondent in Gaza that around 200 Palestinians were also injured in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza when his son was wounded, after the army bombarded it.
The father said his son was first moved to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where the doctors operated on him for several hours, and that the hospital had already been flooded with dozens of wounded Palestinians.
Following a successful resuscitation, the young man’s condition deteriorated again, and he fell into a coma before he was eventually moved to al-Maqassed Hospital, where he died of his wounds.
The father said that he was walking home with his sons, Arafat and Ammar, who were both wounded in the Israeli bombardment when Arafat suffered a very serious injury, and bled heavily before the medics managed to enter the heavily bombarded neighborhood.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that around 2140 Palestinians, including 577 children, were killed in the Israeli onslaught. Over 11,100 others, including 3,374 children, 2,088 women and 410 elderly people were injured.
According to the United Nations, around 400000 children from Gaza require essential psychological care due to Israel’s latest war on Gaza, in addition to its repeated and extensive aggressions since 2006.
10 oct 2014
Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi said in a leaked letter from Israeli occupation jails that the Israeli recent war on Gaza strengthened the resistance option in the occupied Palestinian territories. The “Israeli enemy” does not understand the meaning of peace or peace talks, he said, stressing the importance of the unity of the Palestinian people, land, factions, and reconciliation government.
He called for activating resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem according to the prisoners' document for national reconciliation.
He also called for holding presidential and legislative elections that would help develop the Palestinian political scene that witnessed sharp deterioration, according to his statement.
Barghouthi’s letter came to mark the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of prisoner Abu Sharar.
He called for activating resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem according to the prisoners' document for national reconciliation.
He also called for holding presidential and legislative elections that would help develop the Palestinian political scene that witnessed sharp deterioration, according to his statement.
Barghouthi’s letter came to mark the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of prisoner Abu Sharar.
Senior Hamas leader Mohamed Nazzal said his Movement would start soon a round of negotiations with Israel to swap prisoners, stressing that every piece of information about the number and conditions of Israeli detainees has a price. Nazzal said in remarks on his Facebook page that the Palestinian resistance has drawn lessons from previous experiences about not providing information on the number and conditions of Israeli prisoners for free.
He affirmed that Hamas would keep the Israeli captives in an unreachable safe place as it had done with soldier Gilad Shalit until reaching a deal with the Israeli side.
“I am confident that the sun of freedom will shine on our heroic prisoners” he concluded.
He affirmed that Hamas would keep the Israeli captives in an unreachable safe place as it had done with soldier Gilad Shalit until reaching a deal with the Israeli side.
“I am confident that the sun of freedom will shine on our heroic prisoners” he concluded.
The UNRWA intends to make its largest ever financial plea to the donors’ conference set to kick off in Cairo on Sunday, asking for $1.6 to rehabilitate Gaza. “This is the largest single task in UNRWA’s 64-year history,” spokesman Christopher Gunness told AFP ahead of a donor conference in Cairo on October 12.
The Israeli 51-day-offensive on Gaza killed about 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The aggression also destroyed tens of thousands of houses, as well as key infrastructure, and left some 100,000 Gazans homeless.
“The figure we are requesting at Cairo is $1.6 billion, which makes this unprecedented,” Gunness said, adding nearly half of that would go towards rebuilding homes damaged during 50 days of aggression in July and August.
UNRWA outlined its post-war emergency plan in a 15-page document, entitled “The strategic response to fighting in Gaza in 2014. It pledged to prioritize reconstruction of housing, UNRWA facilities and healthcare, including providing clean drinking water.
The Cairo conference will be attended by the US, the European Union, Arab countries and various economic and humanitarian organizations.
The Palestinian government has already asked for more than $4 billion to rebuild the coastal territory, which is home to about 1.7 million people.
The Israeli 51-day-offensive on Gaza killed about 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The aggression also destroyed tens of thousands of houses, as well as key infrastructure, and left some 100,000 Gazans homeless.
“The figure we are requesting at Cairo is $1.6 billion, which makes this unprecedented,” Gunness said, adding nearly half of that would go towards rebuilding homes damaged during 50 days of aggression in July and August.
UNRWA outlined its post-war emergency plan in a 15-page document, entitled “The strategic response to fighting in Gaza in 2014. It pledged to prioritize reconstruction of housing, UNRWA facilities and healthcare, including providing clean drinking water.
The Cairo conference will be attended by the US, the European Union, Arab countries and various economic and humanitarian organizations.
The Palestinian government has already asked for more than $4 billion to rebuild the coastal territory, which is home to about 1.7 million people.
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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
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
