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FROM THE FIELD

ACT: Gaza situation report
09 Jan 2009 15:43:00 GMT
 Source: Action by Churches Together (ACT) - Switzerland
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JERUSALEM, 9 January 2009--The movement of aid by the UN into Gaza is at a standstill, reports ACT members preparing aid shipments across the Gaza border.

"The UN workers who do the loading and transport of aid are on strike today, due to the lack of security for truck drivers, which was made clear by yesterday's truck driver death. It is unlikely that any aid will be able to move into Gaza today," reports the ACT representative for Israel and Palestine, Liv Steimoeggen.

The UN is responsible for organising the transport of aid shipments into Gaza, including aid supplied by ACT.

Damage increases and no cash
The devastation and damage in Gaza resulting from the ongoing Israeli military activities is increasing, reports ACT member Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR). The damage to infrastructure is especially large and it is hard at this time to estimate the level and cost of recovery and reconstruction needed after the violence subsides.

In terms of support to the affected population, with 80% unemployment in Gaza and the fact that all banks and financial institutions remain closed, there is no liquidity or cash in circulatation. The economic cycle has completely stopped and a massive number of families are in need of some form of support, be it food, water, shelter or cash.

Children have seen too much
There is a deep concern as to the effect this war will have on the psychological state of children in Gaza. There is a significant demand for social workers, psychological specialists, and other human resources in this particular field. The children of Gaza have witnessed scenes of death, blood, demolitions, family loss and injuries in the midst of a general climate of fear and confusion. The feeling of insecurity, especially when the parents seem to be helpless in easing the fears and concerns of their children, might have a permanent effect on the personality development of a large number of children.

Three DSPR clinics in Gaza do not have such specialists on a permanent basis. A key need going forward will be skilled and well-trained psychosocial care specialists for up to six months after the violence stops.

Bombs hit close to clinics
Currently, heavy fighting and bombardment is taking shape in the close vicinity of each of the DSPR clinics, which renders them inoperative. The clinics are well-equipped to operate as emergency rooms once the situation calms down, with an average of six workers in each including nurses, midwives, pharmacists, lab specialists and service specialists.

Red Cross: Israel delays ambulances
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has suspended all forms of aid operations and delivery in protest of the latest Israeli attacks on its personnel. Some reports indicate that trucks containing flour and food have been targeted by the Israeli military, although there was constant coordination and communication between UNRWA and the Israeli army. As a result, the joint work between Palestinian non-governmental organisations and UNRWA is suspended and there are complaints that food and water is not reaching the entire affected population.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has officially complained that the Israeli army is deliberately delaying ambulances and in some instances shooting and targeting Red Crescent workers. Relief workers found four starving children sitting next to the corpses of their mothers and others in a part of Gaza city bombed and isolated by the Israeli army.

Training suspended
The DSPR vocational training centre in Gaza has not been affected nor damaged by the bombardment, although there are reports of glass being shattered. The centre has suspended all forms of training as the students are living far from the centre and since transportation and movement is impossible at this time. Studying will resume once the situation allows.

Eyewitness account
A priest in Gaza, Father Musallam, reports that the convent in the Zaytoun area was hit by shrapnel and that there are holes in the building. Additionally, the convent next to the camp (Deir Al-Rahbat) was also hit and some nuns were affected, and now both the Rosary Sisters and Mother Theresa Sisters have fled the Gaza Strip.

Father Musallam shared that he was looking at his sister's eyes this morning and all he could see is red. Bombardment is very close to where he is and he states that no one is used to such level of continuous strikes. According to him, the current strikes are beyond the level of tolerance.

In some areas, Father Musallam says the economic situation is dire and one cannot buy the needed goods. He reports that the temporary daily truce is often breached by Israel, with sounds of bombardment being heard during that time.

257 children dead
According to the UN Office for the Coodrination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 257 children have died so far with an increase of 250 percent since the ground operation began. Children constitute 56 percent of the Gazan population. Overall deaths have reached 758 with more than 3,000 injured.

###

This situation report is based on reports by ACT members Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA). ACT International will continue to give regular updates on the situation in Gaza and inform about the ACT response.

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

Media contact:
Tomm Kristiansen, Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6039 / mobile: +41 79 358 3171 / tkr@act-intl.org )

Sidney Traynham, Assistant Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6711 / mobile: +41 79 681 1868 / sjt@act-intl.org )


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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