With tensions running high, our man in
Gaza says that Gaza’s problems have not been helped by a series of air and tank
strikes from Israel, the last on the morning of Thursday, 9 January 2014.
However, our Tel Aviv members explain that these were in response to Palestinian
rocket attacks on Israel at the time of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit
to Israel. The counter attacks by
Israel killed one Palestinian and wounded several others. The
death of Ariel Sharon has now heightened fears of an escalation in violence.
Again Palestinians struck Israel with rocket fire that morning but the onslaught
was brief.
Meanwhile the overall situation in the
Gaza Strip is deemed by Hamas as one of Gaza’s lowest points in almost 40 years.
Late December saw a heavy winter storm, known as “Alexa”, wreak havoc across the
entire Middle East. Snow in Syria put further strain on stricken families who
have little protection against the cold in areas such as rural Damascus, while
Egypt and Cairo saw snow for the first time in 112 years.
However, it is Gaza where the effects of
Mother Nature were felt hardest. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for
Palestine Refugees said that large swathes of Gaza had "water as far as the eye
can see". More than 5,000 people were evacuated from their homes and relocated
to schools and other temporary shelters because of severe floods after four days
of persistent rainfall. Some Gaza homes could only be accessed by rowing
boat.
People found themselves trapped in their
own homes fighting against the rising water and cold temperatures.
Around two-thirds of Gaza’s estimated 1.8
million population (there are no accurate figures) are classified by the United
Nations as refugees from the 1948 war. One refugee camp, in the north of the
strip, at Jabaliya, was completely flooded with water rising up to 2m (6.5 ft)
in places. Raw sewage mixed with flood waters also greatly increased the risk of
disease. According to NCF members in Palestine, parts of Ramallah, El Bireh and
Bethlehem, as well as East Jerusalem also experienced power outages of the kind
that are already commonplace in Gaza.
Even prior to the adverse weather
conditions, Gaza’s 1.8 million inhabitants had been enduring daily electrical
blackouts. These power cuts now regularly last between 12 and 16 hours with many
homes left without power altogether in the aftermath of storm Alexa. Our members
in Gaza say that though electrical power has now recovered, outages remain
common every eight hours.
Initial assessments of storm damage
indicate a $64 million price tag on the swathe of destruction from the storm.
Qatar has stated it will allocate between $5 and $10 million in aid to Gaza
residents in addition to the $450 million worth of constructional projects it is
already developing in Palestine. Israel’s Mekorot water utility service has sent
four water pumps into Gaza to help control the flooding, which has allowed some
residents to return to their virtually destroyed homes. In recent days aid has
arrived from Turkey.
Though the flooding has now subsided,
hundreds of people are still struggling to return to their
homes.
Politically, Gaza remains beset by
the difficult relationship between Hamas and Fatah, who are currently locked in
debate over the timing of the next Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. The
squabble has now reached trivial proportions. According to our man in Gaza,
Hamas are seeking for elections to be held six months after any agreement is
reached on Government Unity between themselves and Fatah. On the other hand
Fatah want polls three months after any agreement.
Some respite from Gaza’s troubles has
been offered in the shape of the opening of roads between Gaza and Egypt in the
last fortnight, with 300 refugees being allowed to leave Gaza thus far but
relationships between Egypt and Gaza remain tense.
