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Gaza: No words left
Written by: CAFOD
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Palestinians flee their homes during Israel's offensive in Gaza January 6, 2009.
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA)
For the second day we have had to postpone our planned aid distribution. The security situation gets worse by the hour, making it very difficult to go out on the streets and deliver aid. Homes are without water and electricity. Gazans have only been receiving water once a week for the last six months. But the electricity is down, which means the water cannot be pumped up. This is very dangerous. As well as the obvious danger of being without water, there are added health issues and the possibility of the spread of disease. Gaza is now divided due to the presence of the Israeli army and it is pretty much impossible to travel to the central areas. My Islamic Relief colleagues who work with orphans are in the middle of Gaza - it is now very difficult to reach this area. The inability to travel safely is severely affecting the aid effort. Only today I was at a bread queue talking to ordinary Gazans. Explosions could be heard in the background. I met one woman who had been queuing from 0730 to 1030. But others had been queuing for up to 10 hours - such is the shortage. One man I met told me he was taking shifts with his brother in the bread queue in order not to lose their place. Others I met just broke down in tears when I began speaking to them - it seems they had no words left. I often feel like I am saying the same thing again and again, but the humanitarian situation is nothing short of desperate. Our colleagues in the UN are calling it a humanitarian crisis. Each day in Gaza it feels like it can't get any worse - but it does. People just don't know what to do or expect. I ask you to imagine how you would feel if you found yourself in a situation where you and your loved ones had little food, water and no electricity. And all the time the sound of explosions - bombs, missiles and tank fire - can be heard everywhere. Ten long days and nights the people of Gaza have been living with fear - we are exhausted and every day brings more violence and more misery. CAFOD has pledged an initial £50,000 to support the humanitarian efforts of its partner Islamic Relief in Gaza. Content provided by CAFOD partner Islamic Relief. To read more about this pledge click here . This post is reproduced from the CAFOD blog, Just One World, where you can read more about their work.
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