Israel attacks on Gaza, UN official describes the devestation
Palestine-Israel-UN, Politics, 7/29/2006

Tonight, Israeli forces attacked what Israel likes to describe as "terror" infrastructures in the Gaza Strip. Air Force planes attacked weapon production and storage facilities used by the Hamas organization in Gaza city, and tunnel infrastructures used in smuggling weapons on the Israeli-Egyptian border, close to Rafah.

Prior to the attacks on these targets, in order to ensure the safety of the residents of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army warned the population not to stay in structures that are used by "terrorist" organizations for storing weapons.

The Israeli army also began engineering work in the Erez industrial area in the northern Gaza Strip in order to thwart terror threats and to discover tunnels and explosive devices in the area.

Israel said "terrorist organizations operate from within civilian population, while exploiting uninvolved civilians and using them as human shields, exploiting their homes to store weapons and launch rockets at Israeli towns from populated areas.

Israel said she Israeli army will continue to act with determination against terrorist organizations and terror infrastructure in order to create the conditions for the return of Corporal Gilad Shalit and to stop terror attacks and the launching of missiles against Israel.

All these claims by Israel and description of it attacking terror infrastructure ironically comes as UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said when visiting Gaza, he was deeply saddened to find "the great visions that we had in Oslo for a peaceful and prosperous Palestine, coexisting in safety and security with a recognized Israel, shattered."

He told the United Nations Security Council, after his visit to the Middle East to oversee the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories that these hopes have been replaced by a deep sense of despair and disillusionment.

"The destruction of vital civilian infrastructure such as bridges, roads, and the only electrical power plant in Gaza, the ongoing closure of most border crossings into and out of Gaza, and frequent roadblocks are suffocating any attempt at building a viable economic and social infrastructure in Gaza."

"I saw the destruction of every single transformer of the power plant in Gaza, covering 55% of Gaza's electricity needs, including that of homes, schools, and hospitals," he adds "today, private households, hospitals, and water pumps receive some 3 to 4 hours of electricity supply per day, oftentimes not synchronized with the few hours during which water is being supplied. Some Israeli officials have conceded that the destruction of this purely civilian installation was indeed unwise."

He affirmed that the repeated destruction of infrastructure is also taking its toll on aid workers. It was disheartening to feel their sense of frustration and disillusionment.

"The produce from the greenhouses erected as part of (the former Special Quartet Envoy) James Wolfenson's efforts was all destroyed in the recent violence as were the bridges built by UNDP with European aid over several years. Some of our colleagues are ready to give up. But we cannot allow this to happen. How can we give up on 1.4 million Gazaens, half of them children? It is now, more than ever, that the occupied Palestinian territory needs our collective assistance," he stressed.

Previous Stories:
  Israel kills 25 Palestinians in Gaza   (7/26/2006)
  UN official deplores Israeli disproportionate use of force in Gaza   (7/26/2006)
  Israel kills child, his grandmother in Gaza   (7/24/2006)
  UN Human Rights Council calls for independent inquiry into Israeli war crimes in Gaza   (7/20/2006)
  UN urged register Palestinian damages from Israeli wall   (7/10/2006)
  UN agency appeals for emergency funds to hard-pressed Gaza residents   (7/7/2006)

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