7 may 2018
Head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege Jamal al-Khudari on Monday called on Arab Red Crescent societies and concerned international organizations to urgently send medical aid to Gaza to save its collapsing health sector.
Al-Khudari said in statements that Gaza hospitals have unprecedentedly run out of 50% of much-needed drugs and medical supplies.
Al-Khudari pointed out that 80% of the Gaza Strip residents live below the poverty line with $2 per capita daily income, adding that food insecurity rate in the besieged enclave has reached 60%.
He said that over a quarter of a million Gazan workers are currently unemployed, noting that about one million refugees live on limited aid from UNRWA which is suffering from accumulated fiscal deficit due to US and Israeli pressures.
The Palestinian official continued to say that 25% of the homes that were completely destroyed during the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza have not been reconstructed yet because of the lack of funding and building materials.
Moreover, according to al-Khudari, 95% of Gaza's water is undrinkable, while the two million residents of the besieged territory suffer from power outages that last for 18-20 hours a day.
Al-Khudari said in statements that Gaza hospitals have unprecedentedly run out of 50% of much-needed drugs and medical supplies.
Al-Khudari pointed out that 80% of the Gaza Strip residents live below the poverty line with $2 per capita daily income, adding that food insecurity rate in the besieged enclave has reached 60%.
He said that over a quarter of a million Gazan workers are currently unemployed, noting that about one million refugees live on limited aid from UNRWA which is suffering from accumulated fiscal deficit due to US and Israeli pressures.
The Palestinian official continued to say that 25% of the homes that were completely destroyed during the 2014 Israeli offensive on Gaza have not been reconstructed yet because of the lack of funding and building materials.
Moreover, according to al-Khudari, 95% of Gaza's water is undrinkable, while the two million residents of the besieged territory suffer from power outages that last for 18-20 hours a day.
5 may 2018
Israeli soldiers issued, Friday, orders for halting the construction of a Palestinian home, and the demolition of a wall around a land, in Ein Jweiza area in the al-Walaja village, west of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.
Ibrahim Awadallah, a local nonviolent activist, said the soldiers handed Issa al-Atrash a military order instructing him to halt the construction of his 120 square/meter home, in Ein Jweiza.
He added that the soldiers also issued a demolition order targeting a wall surrounding a Palestinian farmland, owned by another resident, in al-Walaja.
The Israeli army claims that the constructions did not receive a permit from the “Civil Administration Office,” run by the military in the occupied West Bank.
Awadallah said the village, especially Ein Jweiza, has been subject to frequent invasions and violations, including home demolitions, orders targeting existing or under construction homes and property.
He added that the army also bulldozed and uprooted Palestinian lands in the area, as Israel is trying to illegally confiscate the lands to make them part of Jerusalem.
Ibrahim Awadallah, a local nonviolent activist, said the soldiers handed Issa al-Atrash a military order instructing him to halt the construction of his 120 square/meter home, in Ein Jweiza.
He added that the soldiers also issued a demolition order targeting a wall surrounding a Palestinian farmland, owned by another resident, in al-Walaja.
The Israeli army claims that the constructions did not receive a permit from the “Civil Administration Office,” run by the military in the occupied West Bank.
Awadallah said the village, especially Ein Jweiza, has been subject to frequent invasions and violations, including home demolitions, orders targeting existing or under construction homes and property.
He added that the army also bulldozed and uprooted Palestinian lands in the area, as Israel is trying to illegally confiscate the lands to make them part of Jerusalem.
1 may 2018
Chairman of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi attended on Tuesday the signing ceremony of a number of projects regarding the reconstruction of Gaza.
The signing ceremony was also attended by a number of national figures and representatives of civil society organizations, in addition to local businessmen.
During the event, al-Emadi signed a number of projects worth 5 million dollars supported by Qatar for the reconstruction of Gaza.
The signing ceremony was also attended by a number of national figures and representatives of civil society organizations, in addition to local businessmen.
During the event, al-Emadi signed a number of projects worth 5 million dollars supported by Qatar for the reconstruction of Gaza.
25 apr 2018
Israel has repeatedly denied Palestinians permits to build schools in the West Bank and demolished schools built without permits, making it more difficult or impossible for thousands of children to get an education, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday.
According to HRW, on April 25, 2018, Israel’s high court will hold what may be the final hearing on the military’s plans to demolish a school in Khan al-Ahmar Abu al-Hilu, a Palestinian community. It is one of the 44 Palestinian schools at risk of full or partial demolition because Israeli authorities say they were built illegally.
The Israeli military refuses to permit most new Palestinian construction in the 60 percent of the West Bank where it has exclusive control over planning and building, even as the military facilitates settler construction. The military has enforced this discriminatory system by razing thousands of Palestinian properties, including schools, creating pressure on Palestinians to leave their communities. When Israeli authorities have demolished schools, they have not taken steps to ensure that children in the area have access to schools of at least the same quality.
“Israeli authorities have been getting away for years with demolishing primary schools and preschools in Palestinian communities,” said Bill Van Esveld, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Israeli military’s refusal to issue building permits and then knocking down schools without permits is discriminatory and violates children’s right to education.”
Israeli military authorities have demolished or confiscated Palestinian school buildings or property in the West Bank at least 16 times since 2010, with 12 incidents since 2016, repeatedly targeting some schools, Human Rights Watch found.
Over a third of Palestinian communities in Area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank where the Israeli military has exclusive control over building under the 1993 Oslo accords, currently do not have primary schools, and 10,000 children attend school in tents, shacks, or other structures without heating or air-conditioning, according to the UN. About 1,700 children had to walk five or more kilometers to school due to road closures, lack of passable roads or transportation, or other problems, according to 2015 UN estimates. The long distances and fear of harassment by settlers or the military lead some parents to take their children out of school, with a disproportionate impact on girls.
Most West Bank schools at risk of demolition fall within Area C. Israel justifies its demolition of schools and other Palestinian property there not on security grounds, but rather on the grounds that they were built without permits from the military. However, the military refuses the vast majority of Palestinian building requests, and has zoned only 1 percent of Area C for Palestinian building, even as construction proceeds with few constraints in nearby Israeli settlements.
The school demolitions are consistent with other actions that make communities unviable, such as home demolitions, and the refusal to zone the communities or grant them connections to utilities like water and electricity, Human Rights Watch said.
Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office on March 31, 2009, Israeli forces have demolished 5,351 Palestinian buildings in the West Bank for lack of building permits, including East Jerusalem, displacing 7,988 people, including more than 4,100 children, based on UN data. Israel has not offered resettlement options or compensation to families whose homes were demolished during this period.
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian schools, and its failure to replace them, violates its obligation as an occupying power to “facilitate the proper working of all institutions devoted to the care and education of children,” and violates the prohibition on interfering with the activities of educational institutions or requisitioning their property. International law prohibits an occupying power from destroying property, including schools, unless “absolutely necessary” for “military operations.” The Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court prohibit widespread, unlawful destruction of property as a war crime.
According to HRW, on April 25, 2018, Israel’s high court will hold what may be the final hearing on the military’s plans to demolish a school in Khan al-Ahmar Abu al-Hilu, a Palestinian community. It is one of the 44 Palestinian schools at risk of full or partial demolition because Israeli authorities say they were built illegally.
The Israeli military refuses to permit most new Palestinian construction in the 60 percent of the West Bank where it has exclusive control over planning and building, even as the military facilitates settler construction. The military has enforced this discriminatory system by razing thousands of Palestinian properties, including schools, creating pressure on Palestinians to leave their communities. When Israeli authorities have demolished schools, they have not taken steps to ensure that children in the area have access to schools of at least the same quality.
“Israeli authorities have been getting away for years with demolishing primary schools and preschools in Palestinian communities,” said Bill Van Esveld, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Israeli military’s refusal to issue building permits and then knocking down schools without permits is discriminatory and violates children’s right to education.”
Israeli military authorities have demolished or confiscated Palestinian school buildings or property in the West Bank at least 16 times since 2010, with 12 incidents since 2016, repeatedly targeting some schools, Human Rights Watch found.
Over a third of Palestinian communities in Area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank where the Israeli military has exclusive control over building under the 1993 Oslo accords, currently do not have primary schools, and 10,000 children attend school in tents, shacks, or other structures without heating or air-conditioning, according to the UN. About 1,700 children had to walk five or more kilometers to school due to road closures, lack of passable roads or transportation, or other problems, according to 2015 UN estimates. The long distances and fear of harassment by settlers or the military lead some parents to take their children out of school, with a disproportionate impact on girls.
Most West Bank schools at risk of demolition fall within Area C. Israel justifies its demolition of schools and other Palestinian property there not on security grounds, but rather on the grounds that they were built without permits from the military. However, the military refuses the vast majority of Palestinian building requests, and has zoned only 1 percent of Area C for Palestinian building, even as construction proceeds with few constraints in nearby Israeli settlements.
The school demolitions are consistent with other actions that make communities unviable, such as home demolitions, and the refusal to zone the communities or grant them connections to utilities like water and electricity, Human Rights Watch said.
Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office on March 31, 2009, Israeli forces have demolished 5,351 Palestinian buildings in the West Bank for lack of building permits, including East Jerusalem, displacing 7,988 people, including more than 4,100 children, based on UN data. Israel has not offered resettlement options or compensation to families whose homes were demolished during this period.
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian schools, and its failure to replace them, violates its obligation as an occupying power to “facilitate the proper working of all institutions devoted to the care and education of children,” and violates the prohibition on interfering with the activities of educational institutions or requisitioning their property. International law prohibits an occupying power from destroying property, including schools, unless “absolutely necessary” for “military operations.” The Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court prohibit widespread, unlawful destruction of property as a war crime.
15 mar 2018
Israeli bulldozers on Wednesday demolished a number of residential and commercial facilities in Occupied Jerusalem under the pretext of being unlicensed.
Rami Abu Tarboush told Quds Press that Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by police forces and crews from the Jerusalem municipality, demolished his family house, which was built before 1964, in addition to four caravans and a stall owned by his family.
Abu Tarboush affirmed that he did not receive a prior warning and was surprised by the Israeli crews storming the area and ordering his family to evacuate the house.
The Land Research Center in Jerusalem said in statistics published recently that the Israeli occupation since 1967 has demolished 5,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem.
The report revealed that Israel did not only destroy 39 villages in Jerusalem and displace about 198,000 residents in 1948, but it also continued its demolition operations in 1967 under various pretexts.
According to the Center, the Israeli occupation demolished 1,706 homes between 2000 and 2017 displacing 9,422 Palestinians, 5,443 of whom were children.
It pointed out that about 67,500 Jerusalemites were expelled from Jerusalem before the 1948 war and 30,000 after the war, while 16,000 Jews were settled in the empty Arab houses in the city between September 1948 and August 1949.
During the 1967 war, the Center added, about 70,000 Jerusalemites were deported from Jerusalem, including those who were outside the city and were prevented from returning after the war ended in addition to 50,000 residents who left the city after the war for different reasons.
The report underlined that following the establishment of the apartheid wall in the West Bank, the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality has prevented Palestinian citizens from building hundreds of new homes, knocked down dozens others and caused major damages to the environment.
The Land Research Center said that the Palestinians of Jerusalem need 2,000 housing units annually, noting that 380,000 Jerusalemites, who constitute half of the holy city's population, live in unauthorized homes because Israel prevents Jerusalem residents from using 88% of their lands.
Rami Abu Tarboush told Quds Press that Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by police forces and crews from the Jerusalem municipality, demolished his family house, which was built before 1964, in addition to four caravans and a stall owned by his family.
Abu Tarboush affirmed that he did not receive a prior warning and was surprised by the Israeli crews storming the area and ordering his family to evacuate the house.
The Land Research Center in Jerusalem said in statistics published recently that the Israeli occupation since 1967 has demolished 5,000 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem.
The report revealed that Israel did not only destroy 39 villages in Jerusalem and displace about 198,000 residents in 1948, but it also continued its demolition operations in 1967 under various pretexts.
According to the Center, the Israeli occupation demolished 1,706 homes between 2000 and 2017 displacing 9,422 Palestinians, 5,443 of whom were children.
It pointed out that about 67,500 Jerusalemites were expelled from Jerusalem before the 1948 war and 30,000 after the war, while 16,000 Jews were settled in the empty Arab houses in the city between September 1948 and August 1949.
During the 1967 war, the Center added, about 70,000 Jerusalemites were deported from Jerusalem, including those who were outside the city and were prevented from returning after the war ended in addition to 50,000 residents who left the city after the war for different reasons.
The report underlined that following the establishment of the apartheid wall in the West Bank, the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem municipality has prevented Palestinian citizens from building hundreds of new homes, knocked down dozens others and caused major damages to the environment.
The Land Research Center said that the Palestinians of Jerusalem need 2,000 housing units annually, noting that 380,000 Jerusalemites, who constitute half of the holy city's population, live in unauthorized homes because Israel prevents Jerusalem residents from using 88% of their lands.
14 mar 2018
The Israeli army invaded, Wednesday, Nahhalin town, west of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, and handed military orders halting the construction of five Palestinian homes.
Hannoun Fannoun, a member of Nahhalin Town Council, said the five homes ae located in Sabeeha al-Foqa and Wad an-No’man areas, and added that the military claims the properties were not licensed by the Israeli Civil Administration office, in the occupied West Bank.
The properties are owned by Hisham Ahmad Najajra, Saher Adnan Najajra, Ahmad Yousef Najajra, Fares Mohammad Najajra and Ma’moun Issa Fannoun.
Fannoun added that the town has been subject to serious Israeli violations and escalation, including the illegal confiscation of privately-owned lands, demolitions of homes and property, and orders to halt constructions, in addition to ongoing invasions, violent searches of homes and abductions.
The official also said that Israel is preventing the Palestinians from building on their own lands, and is illegally confiscating and isolating their lands by surrounding them with the illegal Annexation Wall and colonies.
In related news, the army issued orders for uprooting grapevines and olive trees in Khallet Thaher al-Ein area, in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, to pave a new road for colonialist settlers.
The order refers to large areas of the Palestinians land which were illegally confiscated by the Israeli military months earlier.
Hannoun Fannoun, a member of Nahhalin Town Council, said the five homes ae located in Sabeeha al-Foqa and Wad an-No’man areas, and added that the military claims the properties were not licensed by the Israeli Civil Administration office, in the occupied West Bank.
The properties are owned by Hisham Ahmad Najajra, Saher Adnan Najajra, Ahmad Yousef Najajra, Fares Mohammad Najajra and Ma’moun Issa Fannoun.
Fannoun added that the town has been subject to serious Israeli violations and escalation, including the illegal confiscation of privately-owned lands, demolitions of homes and property, and orders to halt constructions, in addition to ongoing invasions, violent searches of homes and abductions.
The official also said that Israel is preventing the Palestinians from building on their own lands, and is illegally confiscating and isolating their lands by surrounding them with the illegal Annexation Wall and colonies.
In related news, the army issued orders for uprooting grapevines and olive trees in Khallet Thaher al-Ein area, in al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem, to pave a new road for colonialist settlers.
The order refers to large areas of the Palestinians land which were illegally confiscated by the Israeli military months earlier.
11 mar 2018
Israeli soldiers confiscated, Sunday, a Palestinian truck and a bulldozer while preparing to conduct work aimed at paving a new agricultural road leading to Palestinian lands in Qabalan town, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
The soldiers invaded the area, and confiscated the truck and the bulldozer, in the as-Sroub area, east of Qabalan.
The Palestinians were trying to prepare for a new agricultural road, on their lands, to reach them with tractors and agricultural equipment.
This is happening while Israeli colonizers continue to illegally occupy Palestinian lands in the area, and are provided with infrastructure.
The soldiers invaded the area, and confiscated the truck and the bulldozer, in the as-Sroub area, east of Qabalan.
The Palestinians were trying to prepare for a new agricultural road, on their lands, to reach them with tractors and agricultural equipment.
This is happening while Israeli colonizers continue to illegally occupy Palestinian lands in the area, and are provided with infrastructure.
19 feb 2018
Palestinian Minister of Housing Mufid al-Hasayneh said that the Gaza Strip currently needs 102,000 new housing units to overcome the housing crisis, as well as the reconstruction of 24,000 existing units.
In a press statement, Al-Hasayneh said that more than 70% of families are in need, as their own financial capabilities cannot afford to build housing units. The Gaza Strip needs 14 thousand units annually, he pointed out.
20% of the Palestinian households in the Gaza Strip live in densely populated residential units, where the overall population growth rate is 3.3%, Al-Hasayneh explained, according to Al Ray.
Al-Hasayneh said that the recent Israeli offensive on the Strip contributed to deepening the crisis due to the great damage done to the housing sector and the total and partial damage caused to about 200,000 housing units.
The minister stressed the importance of enforcing regulations and laws for those unable to pay, and to minimize the ministry’s ability to build and deal directly with beneficiaries.
09/02/14 VIDEO: Gaza City’s Devastated Al-Shuja’eyya Suburb
In a press statement, Al-Hasayneh said that more than 70% of families are in need, as their own financial capabilities cannot afford to build housing units. The Gaza Strip needs 14 thousand units annually, he pointed out.
20% of the Palestinian households in the Gaza Strip live in densely populated residential units, where the overall population growth rate is 3.3%, Al-Hasayneh explained, according to Al Ray.
Al-Hasayneh said that the recent Israeli offensive on the Strip contributed to deepening the crisis due to the great damage done to the housing sector and the total and partial damage caused to about 200,000 housing units.
The minister stressed the importance of enforcing regulations and laws for those unable to pay, and to minimize the ministry’s ability to build and deal directly with beneficiaries.
09/02/14 VIDEO: Gaza City’s Devastated Al-Shuja’eyya Suburb
31 jan 2018
The Israeli occupation forces late on Tuesday evening prevented the construction of a Palestinian kindergarten in the town of Ya’bad, to the west of Jenin in the northern West Bank.
Samer Abu Baker, mayor of Ya’bad, said that Israeli army ordered a halt on the planned construction of the building and confiscated the equipment belonging to the company undertaking the project, although the project is located within the organizational structure of the town.
Samer Abu Baker, mayor of Ya’bad, said that Israeli army ordered a halt on the planned construction of the building and confiscated the equipment belonging to the company undertaking the project, although the project is located within the organizational structure of the town.
29 jan 2018
Israeli statistics have revealed that the number of trucks carrying goods to the Gaza Strip fell to 350 while Gaza is supposed to receive 800-1000 trucks per day.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that last week witnessed the lowest number of trucks entering Gaza daily via Karem Abu Salem crossing since the 2014 war.
The main reason for this drop, according to the Hebrew newspaper, is the decline in purchasing power in Gaza.
Another factor is the completion of the implementation of a long series of projects that came within the framework of the Gaza reconstruction campaign following the 2014 war. Those projects provided temporary sources of income for some citizens but they no longer exist.
The National Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said that about 80% of Gaza's population depends on humanitarian assistance from international organizations, adding that the situation in Gaza is likely to further deteriorate because of the ban on relief convoys' entry into Gaza and the political harassment UNRWA is being subjected to.
Statistics say that 6 out of 10 families in Gaza suffer from food insecurity, and that more than 272,000 citizens, including 100,000 university graduates, are currently unemployed due to the blockade and the great destruction caused to Gaza's industrial facilities by the three Israeli wars on Gaza.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that last week witnessed the lowest number of trucks entering Gaza daily via Karem Abu Salem crossing since the 2014 war.
The main reason for this drop, according to the Hebrew newspaper, is the decline in purchasing power in Gaza.
Another factor is the completion of the implementation of a long series of projects that came within the framework of the Gaza reconstruction campaign following the 2014 war. Those projects provided temporary sources of income for some citizens but they no longer exist.
The National Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said that about 80% of Gaza's population depends on humanitarian assistance from international organizations, adding that the situation in Gaza is likely to further deteriorate because of the ban on relief convoys' entry into Gaza and the political harassment UNRWA is being subjected to.
Statistics say that 6 out of 10 families in Gaza suffer from food insecurity, and that more than 272,000 citizens, including 100,000 university graduates, are currently unemployed due to the blockade and the great destruction caused to Gaza's industrial facilities by the three Israeli wars on Gaza.
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