Steimoeggen, who works for ACT-member Norwegian Church Aid, has also requested the blockade on Gaza to be lifted. Israel must allow full and free humanitarian access to Gaza.
The issues
have been raised with the Norwegian deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Raymond Johansen. He visits Israel this week and will hold meeting with the government on Wednesday. Lifting the blockadeLiv Steimoeggen, the ACT representative in Jerusalem gives a humanitarian reason for lifting the blockade: "How can the people of Gaza have a hope for
the future and live a normal dignified life as long as all movements and all activities are controlled by others?"Eleven truck loads of food and medicines are on the way to Gaza. She asks
for open borders for the humanitarian relief, and for safe and free distribution. ACT has also taken the responsibility for distributing 330 tons of food, donated by Palestinians in exile.Care for the traumatizedACT is also providing psychosocial specialists to care for traumatized children, through a programme for care in war and conflict situations. ACT
members will organize play grounds and games for children, womens groups and other forms of "back-to-life" activities. Reparations, who pays?
ACT members had
four clinics bombed by Israeli air strikes. Three of them were mobile clinics, built into small trucks, funded by DanChurchAid. The fourth was a mother-child clinic run by the Department of
Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches. The whole building collapsed and all equipment and medicines were destroyed. ACT wants Israel to pay the reparations: "That
would be fair," says Ms. Steimoeggen.50,000 homelessAs Gaza slowly attempts to return to some semblance of normal life, mourning is prevalent as people count their
losses, visit the destroyed homes and look for loved ones. Some 50,000 people are now homeless and 400,000 are without running water. Shops are open sporadically and by 7:00pm the streets are empty
from cars unless necessary.While it is tenuously calm, people talk of some gunfire heard in central Gaza with a possible limited Israeli military incursion. Al Azhar University is cleaning up
as some of its buildings were affected by the bombardment suffered by its sister Islamic University. For the first time in three weeks, people were able to sleep soundly.Food is distributedDSPR is in the process of looking for a building to act as a temporary clinic in place of the destroyed Shija'ia clinic. One of the top priorities is also
to start a supplemental nutritional program. YMCA and International Orthodox Christian Charities is at the same time distributing 40,000 units of fortified milk and 230,000 nutritional biscuits to
35,000 people. Patients enduring cold temparatures at various clinics without windows can look forward to the distribution of 9,000 blankets.
ACT members Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees
(DSPR), DanChurchAid (DCA), International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) are working together and fundraising through joint
ACT appeal, MEPL81.
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.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Protesters burn an Israeli flag during a demonstration against Israel's offensive in Gaza, outside the Israeli embassy in Lima January 21, 2009. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares (PERU) ...
