The residents of Gaza are under severe stress due to the aid
cutoff and due to the decision of its own leaders not to
allow goods to pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing while
the Karni crossing is closed due to terror warnings. United
Nations aid organizations claim that the Gaza Strip is on the
verge of a humanitarian disaster that could be as bad as the
one in Kosovo.
A report by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warns of a
lack of basic food supplies due to the frequent closures of
the Karni crossing. The report also said there has been a
significant increase in the number of hungry people since
financial aid has been halted. The report does not mention
that Israel has offered repeatedly to let everything pass
through the Kerem Shalom crossing as a temporary measure and
that the Palestinians rejected it.
World Bank statistics show that 56 percent of Palestinians
are now below the poverty line, compared to 22 percent in
2000. The Bank projects that 75 percent will be living in
poverty within two years, but this is based on many
assumptions.
An Israeli security official told Ha'aretz, "Israel is
aware of the difficulties, and an effort is being made to
find solutions without violating the decision not to be in
contact with the Hamas government. The possibility of
transferring funds via the office of the [Palestinian]
presidency to the regional rulers who are directly subject to
Abu Mazen is being examined.
"In such a situation," he continued, "a certain amount of
contact will be maintained with the Palestinian security
services by creating channels between the Israel Defense
Forces and the national security. Israel is aware of the
humanitarian problems and does not want such a crisis."
PA workers have not received their salaries this month, due
to Israel withholding all payments to Hamas terrorists. The
United Nations estimates that 37 percent of employed people
in the Gaza Strip — more than 73,000 people —
work for the PA.
According to the UNRWA report, some 850,000 fowl in Gaza are
suspected of having contracted bird flu. The PA does not have
the resources to deal properly with it, and donor nations
have yet to transfer all the money needed to fight the
virus.
A report released last month by Stratfor, a consulting
agency, noted that it is places such as the Gaza Strip where
the bird pandemic is most likely to mutate into a flu that
affects humans.
The UN report also claims that if the Palestinian Authority
loses its sources of income due to the boycott on donations
and the checkpoints remain closed to Palestinian goods, the
PA's gross national product is expected to go down by at
least a quarter.
