28 mar 2014
The Israeli occupation authorities prevented an official delegation from the European Parliament from entering the Gaza Strip, where it was supposed to meet with officials from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The delegation includes three MEPs, Chris Davies, from UK, Norbert Neuser, from Germany, and Nicole Kiil-Nielsen, from France, who had intended to meet with UNRWA officials to discuss the use of EU money on humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip.
Moscow news agency published a statement issued by the European Parliament, saying that the occupation forces stationed at Beit Hanoun "Erez" crossing in the northern Gaza Strip prevented the members of the delegation from entering Gaza.
The Israeli authorities claimed that the MEPs from the European Parliament's delegation would not be solely concerned with humanitarian matters. But the allegation was strongly refuted by the MEPs, who said that Israel's closure of the Gaza Strip is in breach of international law.
"Israel has inflicted an economic catastrophe upon the people of Gaza and the humanitarian consequences are all too well known," they said. "Instead of preventing MEPs assessing where European taxpayers' money is being put to good use the Israeli authorities should be hugely grateful for the EU's efforts," they added.
The EU parliament statement pointed that the Geneva Convention makes clear that Israel is responsible for the well-being of the people under its control and occupation, but the EU is paying bills that are rightly Israel's responsibility.
The occupation has prevented last October a European parliamentary delegation from entering the Gaza Strip through Beit Hanoun crossing
UNRWA receives more than 100 million euro annually from the European Union, much of which is spent on emergency food distribution and the provision of education within Gaza.
The Commissioner General of the UN agency Filippo Grandi has asked a few days ago the international community to work on lifting the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Moscow news agency published a statement issued by the European Parliament, saying that the occupation forces stationed at Beit Hanoun "Erez" crossing in the northern Gaza Strip prevented the members of the delegation from entering Gaza.
The Israeli authorities claimed that the MEPs from the European Parliament's delegation would not be solely concerned with humanitarian matters. But the allegation was strongly refuted by the MEPs, who said that Israel's closure of the Gaza Strip is in breach of international law.
"Israel has inflicted an economic catastrophe upon the people of Gaza and the humanitarian consequences are all too well known," they said. "Instead of preventing MEPs assessing where European taxpayers' money is being put to good use the Israeli authorities should be hugely grateful for the EU's efforts," they added.
The EU parliament statement pointed that the Geneva Convention makes clear that Israel is responsible for the well-being of the people under its control and occupation, but the EU is paying bills that are rightly Israel's responsibility.
The occupation has prevented last October a European parliamentary delegation from entering the Gaza Strip through Beit Hanoun crossing
UNRWA receives more than 100 million euro annually from the European Union, much of which is spent on emergency food distribution and the provision of education within Gaza.
The Commissioner General of the UN agency Filippo Grandi has asked a few days ago the international community to work on lifting the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
27 mar 2014
Two toddlers died late Wednesday in a fire in an apartment in Rafah, civil defense officials said.
Malak Fathi Sheikh el-Eid, aged 2, and Ghana Fathi Sheikh el-Eid, one-and-a-half years old, were found dead following the fire.
Four other family members were reported injured.
The fire started when a candle overturned in the apartment, fire fighters said.
Gaza residents often use candles to light their house during frequent power cuts, which can last up to eight hours a day.
Malak Fathi Sheikh el-Eid, aged 2, and Ghana Fathi Sheikh el-Eid, one-and-a-half years old, were found dead following the fire.
Four other family members were reported injured.
The fire started when a candle overturned in the apartment, fire fighters said.
Gaza residents often use candles to light their house during frequent power cuts, which can last up to eight hours a day.
26 mar 2014
Palestinian Government in Gaza held its weekly meeting No (334) on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, and concluded with the following statement:
Jewish Breakings into Al Aqsa
Palestinian Government denounces the continued breakings into Al-Aqsa Mosque, where 2,500 Jewish extremists entered the mosque since the beginning of 2014, and calls on the Palestinians in occupied West Bank to defend the holy site through staying up at the mosque.
Colonial Settlement:
Palestinian Government denounces the continued and accelerated pace of settlement construction and Judaization of occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which rate has rose by 123 % in 2013. The government asserts that more negotiations with the occupation shall provide a cover for Israeli authority to build more settler houses, and calling for Palestinian Authority to withdraw from ‘peace process’.
Rafah Border:
The Palestinian government finds bizarre the Egyptian authorities’ continued, unjustified closure of the Rafah crossing which has lasted for 46 days since the onset of 2014; calls on the Egyptian authorities to respect humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law by opening the Rafah crossing and allowing about 10,000 travel applicants stranded in Gaza.
International Calls for Siege Break:
The Palestinian government hails the positions calling to break the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the statements of both Mr Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General of UNRWA and Mr Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, who called for breaking the longest siege marked over history and ‘assessing the legal status of the prolonged Israeli occupation’. Government emphasizes the need to translate all these statements into actions that lead to an urgent lift of the unjust blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Arab Summit:
The Palestinian government stresses the need that the Arab nations keep to treat the Palestine Cause and Jerusalem as the central issue and the Arab leaders to assume their historical responsibilities in supporting the Palestinian struggle and steadfastness against occupation. Government calls on the Arab leaders to enforce the decisions of the previous summits, which call for breaking the brutal eight-year-long Gaza blockade, and to mediate with the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing closed.
Political PA Arrests:
The government decries the increasing political arrests carried out by Palestinian Authority Security Services loyal to Fatah in the West Bank, the latest of which was against leader Nazih Abu Aoun, It demands the immediate release of all political prisoners in the West Bank.
Jewish Breakings into Al Aqsa
Palestinian Government denounces the continued breakings into Al-Aqsa Mosque, where 2,500 Jewish extremists entered the mosque since the beginning of 2014, and calls on the Palestinians in occupied West Bank to defend the holy site through staying up at the mosque.
Colonial Settlement:
Palestinian Government denounces the continued and accelerated pace of settlement construction and Judaization of occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which rate has rose by 123 % in 2013. The government asserts that more negotiations with the occupation shall provide a cover for Israeli authority to build more settler houses, and calling for Palestinian Authority to withdraw from ‘peace process’.
Rafah Border:
The Palestinian government finds bizarre the Egyptian authorities’ continued, unjustified closure of the Rafah crossing which has lasted for 46 days since the onset of 2014; calls on the Egyptian authorities to respect humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law by opening the Rafah crossing and allowing about 10,000 travel applicants stranded in Gaza.
International Calls for Siege Break:
The Palestinian government hails the positions calling to break the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip, the latest of which was the statements of both Mr Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General of UNRWA and Mr Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, who called for breaking the longest siege marked over history and ‘assessing the legal status of the prolonged Israeli occupation’. Government emphasizes the need to translate all these statements into actions that lead to an urgent lift of the unjust blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Arab Summit:
The Palestinian government stresses the need that the Arab nations keep to treat the Palestine Cause and Jerusalem as the central issue and the Arab leaders to assume their historical responsibilities in supporting the Palestinian struggle and steadfastness against occupation. Government calls on the Arab leaders to enforce the decisions of the previous summits, which call for breaking the brutal eight-year-long Gaza blockade, and to mediate with the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border crossing closed.
Political PA Arrests:
The government decries the increasing political arrests carried out by Palestinian Authority Security Services loyal to Fatah in the West Bank, the latest of which was against leader Nazih Abu Aoun, It demands the immediate release of all political prisoners in the West Bank.
Egyptian Authorities announced Tuesday evening the reopening of Rafah border crossing for three days after a closure lasted for more than 48 days in a raw. The Palestinian general directorate of boarder stated that the Palestinian government was formerly informed that Rafah crossing to be opened from next Saturday till Monday evening.
It explained that humanitarian cases, patients, students, and whose residence permit to be ended nearly have the top priority to travel firstly.
The Palestinian side appreciated the effort. Nevertheless, the directorate explained that three days are not sufficient , noting that the number of traveler enrollment is very big.
It explained that humanitarian cases, patients, students, and whose residence permit to be ended nearly have the top priority to travel firstly.
The Palestinian side appreciated the effort. Nevertheless, the directorate explained that three days are not sufficient , noting that the number of traveler enrollment is very big.
25 mar 2014
Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, has urged the international community to act and save the besieged Gaza Strip. He warned that any delay in lifting the siege on Gaza would aggravate the situation there and would lead to a very serious situation.
Grandi, who was addressing a press conference in Gaza Tuesday on the eve of ending his duty as Commissioner-General of UNRWA, described the blockade on Gaza as “illegal”.
He asked the Egyptian authorities and government to shoulder their responsibilities and open the Rafah land crossing immediately.
“With all due respect to their security needs, yet the population in Gaza could not be detained in that limited area of land especially the patients and students,” the UN official said.
Grandi, who was addressing a press conference in Gaza Tuesday on the eve of ending his duty as Commissioner-General of UNRWA, described the blockade on Gaza as “illegal”.
He asked the Egyptian authorities and government to shoulder their responsibilities and open the Rafah land crossing immediately.
“With all due respect to their security needs, yet the population in Gaza could not be detained in that limited area of land especially the patients and students,” the UN official said.
Egyptian authorities prevented hundreds of pilgrims from returning home to Gaza on Monday after closing the Rafah crossing, witnesses said.
The passengers, who were returning from the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, arrived at Rafah on Monday afternoon but were forced to go back to the city of el-Arish by Egypt's army.
The pilgrims spent the night at the bus station in the city before trying to cross on Tuesday.
Many Palestinian pilgrims say Egyptian security procedures slow down their return to the Gaza Strip.
Egypt is expected to open the crossing on Tuesday to allow the stranded pilgrims to return to Gaza, Maher Abu Sabha, the manager of Gaza border crossings, told Ma'an.
The crossing is the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July coup that deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials and other goods.
The passengers, who were returning from the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, arrived at Rafah on Monday afternoon but were forced to go back to the city of el-Arish by Egypt's army.
The pilgrims spent the night at the bus station in the city before trying to cross on Tuesday.
Many Palestinian pilgrims say Egyptian security procedures slow down their return to the Gaza Strip.
Egypt is expected to open the crossing on Tuesday to allow the stranded pilgrims to return to Gaza, Maher Abu Sabha, the manager of Gaza border crossings, told Ma'an.
The crossing is the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July coup that deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials and other goods.
Israel has authorized a transfer of medical equipment from Turkey to a hospital in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian Authority official said Monday.
PA Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, told Ma'an that his office submitted an application to Israel over a year ago to request a transfer of Turkish medical equipment.
Israel officially authorized the request on Monday.
The Turkish Friendship Hospital was built in 2013 after Israel agreed to allow Turkey to transfer construction material.
PA Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh, told Ma'an that his office submitted an application to Israel over a year ago to request a transfer of Turkish medical equipment.
Israel officially authorized the request on Monday.
The Turkish Friendship Hospital was built in 2013 after Israel agreed to allow Turkey to transfer construction material.
24 mar 2014
The roof of Gaza City's children's hospital
By Juan Cole
On the roof of Gaza City's children's hospital, a pristine row of solar panels gleams in the sunlight, an out-of-place symbol of modern, clean energy in the impoverished Strip.
As the coastal Palestinian territory lives through the worst fuel shortage in its history, many of Gaza's 1.6 million inhabitants are beginning to see solar power not just as a viable alternative, but perhaps as the only solution to the energy crisis.
"We were forced to consider relying on solar power alone after the energy crisis that events in Egypt brought about," said hospital director Nabil al-Burqani, referring to the closure of cross-border tunnels which halted the fuel supply into Gaza.
"We need solar energy in order to keep up care for babies in the maternity ward," he told AFP.
"If there's just a minute-long cut to the electricity that runs the baby incubators, a child could die."
Gazans have learned to live with daily power outages of up to 12 hours that have affected private homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and water and sanitation plants.
The ruling Hamas movement has blamed the crisis on Egypt's destruction of cross-border tunnels which had been used for importing fuel, a decision implemented after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
The tunnels had played a key role in Gaza's economy since 2006, when Israel imposed a blockade after the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. The restrictions were tightened the following year when Hamas seized power.
Although the Israeli restrictions have since been eased, the tunnels continued to be the main conduit for fuel.
- Safer than generators -
By harnessing the energy of the intense sunlight that beats down on the coastal enclave most of the year, Gazans are optimistic they can overcome the crisis in the long term.
And initial setup costs -- which include buying and installing panels and converters, and the batteries needed to run them -- are potentially outweighed by the benefits.
The project at the children's hospital, which was partly funded by British relief charity Sawaed, was set up in January 2013 at a cost of $100,000 (74,000 euros) and is now providing 20 kilowatts of electricity per day.
Elsewhere, a Kuwaiti donation of $6 million is paying for the construction of five new schools, all of which will be equipped with solar panels, the education ministry said.
But the solar drive is not limited only to large-scale foreign-funded projects.
Individual families, if they can afford the initial outlay, are also switching to solar, which promises to be a much safer alternative than generators.
After the fuel crisis kicked in, mobile back-up generators quickly became commonplace, but were often unsafe, causing a string of deaths through explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Shadi Jawwad bought solar panels for his home in the central Gaza Strip after getting a bank loan.
"There's no electricity or fuel to run the generators or the power station in Gaza, but we can use the sun," the 44-year-old government worker said.
"My own solar set-up cost 5,000 shekels ($1,400/1,000 euros), and with it I can get enough electricity to light my home and keep the television on for several hours, even during the regular power cuts to the main supply," Jawwad told AFP.
"This is a safe way of keeping my home running... And I only make one down-payment to set up the solar power system, rather than having to buy more petrol every day for my generator at fluctuating and often extortionate prices."
Figures released by the UN humanitarian agency OCHA show that in November, Gaza received less than 20,000 litres of fuel per week, down from nearly a million litres a day when the tunnels were operating.
Gaza's sole power station ground to a halt on November 1 after diesel stocks ran out. It only went back online 50 days later after a delivery of Israeli fuel which was paid for by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
But the need to seek alternatives to carbon-based fuels appears to be sinking in.
On its website, Gaza's energy authority says it is looking to introduce "a strategy to encourage solar energy use," in the hope that by 2020, solar power will account for 20 percent of the territory's energy consumption.
For now, it is relying on a stock of solar equipment which was brought through the tunnels before Egypt shut them.
Source:informed COMMENT
By Juan Cole
On the roof of Gaza City's children's hospital, a pristine row of solar panels gleams in the sunlight, an out-of-place symbol of modern, clean energy in the impoverished Strip.
As the coastal Palestinian territory lives through the worst fuel shortage in its history, many of Gaza's 1.6 million inhabitants are beginning to see solar power not just as a viable alternative, but perhaps as the only solution to the energy crisis.
"We were forced to consider relying on solar power alone after the energy crisis that events in Egypt brought about," said hospital director Nabil al-Burqani, referring to the closure of cross-border tunnels which halted the fuel supply into Gaza.
"We need solar energy in order to keep up care for babies in the maternity ward," he told AFP.
"If there's just a minute-long cut to the electricity that runs the baby incubators, a child could die."
Gazans have learned to live with daily power outages of up to 12 hours that have affected private homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and water and sanitation plants.
The ruling Hamas movement has blamed the crisis on Egypt's destruction of cross-border tunnels which had been used for importing fuel, a decision implemented after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
The tunnels had played a key role in Gaza's economy since 2006, when Israel imposed a blockade after the capture of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. The restrictions were tightened the following year when Hamas seized power.
Although the Israeli restrictions have since been eased, the tunnels continued to be the main conduit for fuel.
- Safer than generators -
By harnessing the energy of the intense sunlight that beats down on the coastal enclave most of the year, Gazans are optimistic they can overcome the crisis in the long term.
And initial setup costs -- which include buying and installing panels and converters, and the batteries needed to run them -- are potentially outweighed by the benefits.
The project at the children's hospital, which was partly funded by British relief charity Sawaed, was set up in January 2013 at a cost of $100,000 (74,000 euros) and is now providing 20 kilowatts of electricity per day.
Elsewhere, a Kuwaiti donation of $6 million is paying for the construction of five new schools, all of which will be equipped with solar panels, the education ministry said.
But the solar drive is not limited only to large-scale foreign-funded projects.
Individual families, if they can afford the initial outlay, are also switching to solar, which promises to be a much safer alternative than generators.
After the fuel crisis kicked in, mobile back-up generators quickly became commonplace, but were often unsafe, causing a string of deaths through explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Shadi Jawwad bought solar panels for his home in the central Gaza Strip after getting a bank loan.
"There's no electricity or fuel to run the generators or the power station in Gaza, but we can use the sun," the 44-year-old government worker said.
"My own solar set-up cost 5,000 shekels ($1,400/1,000 euros), and with it I can get enough electricity to light my home and keep the television on for several hours, even during the regular power cuts to the main supply," Jawwad told AFP.
"This is a safe way of keeping my home running... And I only make one down-payment to set up the solar power system, rather than having to buy more petrol every day for my generator at fluctuating and often extortionate prices."
Figures released by the UN humanitarian agency OCHA show that in November, Gaza received less than 20,000 litres of fuel per week, down from nearly a million litres a day when the tunnels were operating.
Gaza's sole power station ground to a halt on November 1 after diesel stocks ran out. It only went back online 50 days later after a delivery of Israeli fuel which was paid for by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
But the need to seek alternatives to carbon-based fuels appears to be sinking in.
On its website, Gaza's energy authority says it is looking to introduce "a strategy to encourage solar energy use," in the hope that by 2020, solar power will account for 20 percent of the territory's energy consumption.
For now, it is relying on a stock of solar equipment which was brought through the tunnels before Egypt shut them.
Source:informed COMMENT
Palestinian minister of interior affairs Fathi Hammad said that his ministry supports the back of the Palestinian resistance factions through protecting and strengthening the internal front in times of war and calm. In an interview conducted by Al-Aqsa satellite channel on Sunday, minister Hammad stressed that his ministry works day and night on maintaining the internal front cohesive and strong, especially through combating espionage activities.
The minister also hailed the Palestinians in Gaza for their steadfastness in the face of Israel's aggression and blockade, and appealed to all Arab besieging parties to support Gaza and its resistance.
"The siege will end, God willing. There are people who have forsaken the Palestinian people, but God is with us and we are a nation that loves martyrdom for the sake of God and does not give up its constants," Hammad underlined.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses' cooperation with the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and described its role as "shameful".
The minister also hailed the Palestinians in Gaza for their steadfastness in the face of Israel's aggression and blockade, and appealed to all Arab besieging parties to support Gaza and its resistance.
"The siege will end, God willing. There are people who have forsaken the Palestinian people, but God is with us and we are a nation that loves martyrdom for the sake of God and does not give up its constants," Hammad underlined.
He also criticized the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses' cooperation with the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and described its role as "shameful".
23 mar 2014
The guards of Shaare Zedek hospital prevented on Thursday night a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance from entering the hospital to transfer an old woman from Shu’fat refugee camp.
The paramedic officer, Ali Abu Ghazaleh, explained that the guards prevented him from entering the hospital in the ambulance and detained him twice at the first and second gates.
He said: “the guards at the first gate stopped the ambulance for few minutes and after checking my ID they allowed me to get in. At the second gate, we were surprised when the guards prevented us from entering and they detained the car including the passengers (driver, three paramedics and an 84-year old sick woman) for half an hour.
He added: “we had a conversation and the guards and their boss claimed that I do not have a permit and the vehicle doesn’t have a permit either.” One of them said: “if it was a “David’s Star” vehicle, then we would let it in without inspection or any delay.”
He explained that the guards forced the paramedics to transfer the woman on a stretcher despite the cold weather.
Ala’ Arna’out, coordinator for volunteers’ affairs in Jerusalem, explained that an official claim was filed to the Israeli Ministry of Health against the guards of the hospital and pointed out that there are audio and video recordings of the incident.
He also pointed out that the ambulances have the necessary Israeli permits to operate anywhere without any obstruction or delay.
The paramedic officer, Ali Abu Ghazaleh, explained that the guards prevented him from entering the hospital in the ambulance and detained him twice at the first and second gates.
He said: “the guards at the first gate stopped the ambulance for few minutes and after checking my ID they allowed me to get in. At the second gate, we were surprised when the guards prevented us from entering and they detained the car including the passengers (driver, three paramedics and an 84-year old sick woman) for half an hour.
He added: “we had a conversation and the guards and their boss claimed that I do not have a permit and the vehicle doesn’t have a permit either.” One of them said: “if it was a “David’s Star” vehicle, then we would let it in without inspection or any delay.”
He explained that the guards forced the paramedics to transfer the woman on a stretcher despite the cold weather.
Ala’ Arna’out, coordinator for volunteers’ affairs in Jerusalem, explained that an official claim was filed to the Israeli Ministry of Health against the guards of the hospital and pointed out that there are audio and video recordings of the incident.
He also pointed out that the ambulances have the necessary Israeli permits to operate anywhere without any obstruction or delay.
22 mar 2014
The general directorate of the crossings of the Gaza Strip Ministry of Interior said on Saturday that the Rafah crossing would open for two days starting Sunday to allow pilgrims headed to Saudi Arabia to travel.
The directorate said in a statement that the crossing will open on Sunday morning to allow the first group of the fifth installment of Umrah pilgrims from the Gaza Strip to travel, and to allow pilgrims from the fourth installment to return.
The directorate, however, said that it had not received any information about the possibility of Egyptian authorities opening the crossing to humanitarian cases in which citizens of the Gaza Strip seek treatment abroad.
Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah crossing shut for the last 43 days, the directorate said.
The statement comes just over a week after Gaza child Ahmad Ammar Abu Nahl, 3, died after he was unable to travel abroad to receive medical care due to the crossing's closure.
The crossing is the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July coup that deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials and other goods.
The joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The directorate said in a statement that the crossing will open on Sunday morning to allow the first group of the fifth installment of Umrah pilgrims from the Gaza Strip to travel, and to allow pilgrims from the fourth installment to return.
The directorate, however, said that it had not received any information about the possibility of Egyptian authorities opening the crossing to humanitarian cases in which citizens of the Gaza Strip seek treatment abroad.
Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah crossing shut for the last 43 days, the directorate said.
The statement comes just over a week after Gaza child Ahmad Ammar Abu Nahl, 3, died after he was unable to travel abroad to receive medical care due to the crossing's closure.
The crossing is the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade in 2007.
There have been frequent closures of the Rafah terminal in recent months due to political unrest in Egypt and violence in the Sinai peninsula, placing an added burden on Gaza Strip residents.
After the July coup that deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's army has repeatedly closed the Rafah border crossing and destroyed hundreds of tunnels that Gazans used for years to import fuel, building materials and other goods.
The joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The Egyptian authorities continue to close the Rafah border crossing with Gaza Strip on Saturday for the 43rd day running. Maher Abu Sabha, the director of crossings and borders, said that the Egyptian authorities did not inform them of a new date for opening the crossing.
He said that the crossing is being closed with no reason given, adding that the long period of closure was negatively affecting citizens who wish to travel outside the Strip or enter it.
The Egyptian authorities have continued to close Rafah crossing ever since the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi in early July last year and only open it for two or three days for certain categories.
He said that the crossing is being closed with no reason given, adding that the long period of closure was negatively affecting citizens who wish to travel outside the Strip or enter it.
The Egyptian authorities have continued to close Rafah crossing ever since the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi in early July last year and only open it for two or three days for certain categories.
21 mar 2014
A UN official has warned of the deteriorating situation for Palestinians under Israel’s apartheid occupation of the Palestinian territories, Press TV reports.
Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that the situation “on the ground as far as the Palestinians are concerned has actually gotten worse.”
Falk also stated that al-Quds (Jerusalem) has turned into “more of a Jewish city.”
There are more Israeli settlers and there is more settlement, he said.
The UN official added that the besieged Gaza Strip is also in “bad shape.” The situation has actually deteriorated, Falk stated.
The UN official stressed that the Palestinians are facing discrimination in the occupied territories, saying they are subject to military suppression with no rights of their own while extremist Israeli settlers have been given rights.
Falk made the comments in his final report that will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council soon.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority said on Thursday that talks between Palestinians and Israelis had reached an “impasse” because of Tel Aviv’s “settlement activity.”
The Israeli regime is reportedly pushing ahead with plans for more than 2,000 new illegal settler units in six settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that the situation “on the ground as far as the Palestinians are concerned has actually gotten worse.”
Falk also stated that al-Quds (Jerusalem) has turned into “more of a Jewish city.”
There are more Israeli settlers and there is more settlement, he said.
The UN official added that the besieged Gaza Strip is also in “bad shape.” The situation has actually deteriorated, Falk stated.
The UN official stressed that the Palestinians are facing discrimination in the occupied territories, saying they are subject to military suppression with no rights of their own while extremist Israeli settlers have been given rights.
Falk made the comments in his final report that will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council soon.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority said on Thursday that talks between Palestinians and Israelis had reached an “impasse” because of Tel Aviv’s “settlement activity.”
The Israeli regime is reportedly pushing ahead with plans for more than 2,000 new illegal settler units in six settlements in the occupied West Bank.
An international lawyer says Israel’s blocking of aid supplies to the Gaza Strip is in violation of international humanitarian law, urging the UN and the global community to take action against Tel Aviv, Press TV reports.
“This process of squeezing and putting the people of Gaza on a diet, this is violation of international humanitarian law clearly,” Franklin Lamb said.
“You cannot starve the people, you cannot prevent their development ... This is an assault in a sense on the people of Gaza and there is international responsibility for this,” he added.
The analyst said the UN and the global community need to act and put pressure on Israel to loosen the noose around the Gaza Strip, which is in dire straits.
The UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said on Tuesday that Israel has blocked humanitarian aid worth USD 110 million from reaching Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
Feltman said that Palestinians in the besieged strip are living in harsh conditions and warned that the humanitarian situation for Palestinians is deteriorating as it is becoming “harder and harder for the UN to help the population of Gaza because of limited access.”
Meanwhile, Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Thursday that the besieged Gaza Strip is in “bad shape,” adding that the situation has actually deteriorated in the coastal sliver.
Israel imposed an all-out land, aerial, and naval blockade on Gaza in June 2007. The siege has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the impoverished enclave, turning the territory into the world’s largest open-air prison.
“This process of squeezing and putting the people of Gaza on a diet, this is violation of international humanitarian law clearly,” Franklin Lamb said.
“You cannot starve the people, you cannot prevent their development ... This is an assault in a sense on the people of Gaza and there is international responsibility for this,” he added.
The analyst said the UN and the global community need to act and put pressure on Israel to loosen the noose around the Gaza Strip, which is in dire straits.
The UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said on Tuesday that Israel has blocked humanitarian aid worth USD 110 million from reaching Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
Feltman said that Palestinians in the besieged strip are living in harsh conditions and warned that the humanitarian situation for Palestinians is deteriorating as it is becoming “harder and harder for the UN to help the population of Gaza because of limited access.”
Meanwhile, Richard Falk, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Thursday that the besieged Gaza Strip is in “bad shape,” adding that the situation has actually deteriorated in the coastal sliver.
Israel imposed an all-out land, aerial, and naval blockade on Gaza in June 2007. The siege has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the impoverished enclave, turning the territory into the world’s largest open-air prison.