http://www.irinnews.org/irin-fp.aspxUpdated everydayen-gbThu, 15 Oct 2009 07:33:58 GMTGAZA CITY Thursday, October 15, 2009 (IRIN) - Thousands of Gazan farmers may be unable to replant their crops during the region’s main planting season in October due to agricultural land still damaged by the Israeli offensive at the start of the year, and a lack of agricultural materials like seeds and fertilizers, according to officials.GAZA CITY Thursday, October 15, 2009 (IRIN) - Thousands of Gazan farmers may be unable to replant their crops during the region’s main planting season in October due to agricultural land still damaged by the Israeli offensive at the start of the year, and a lack of agricultural materials like seeds and fertilizers, according to officials.

Half of Hatem Khubair’s four hectares of farmland in Beit Lahiya, a city in the northern Gaza Strip, were destroyed during the Israeli offensive earlier this year.

“I can’t afford to rehabilitate my land. The Israeli army bulldozed my crops - onions and carrots - and parked tanks on it, destroying the irrigation system,” said Hatem.

“I lack money and materials,” said Hatem, estimating the damage at US$27,000, not including the production losses he and his family of eight face this season.

Farmers are struggling to restore the 1,700 hectares of agricultural land damaged or destroyed during Israel’s 23-day offensive which ended on 18 January 2009, according to a UN Development Programme (UNDP) report entitled Damage Assessment in Gaza’s Agricultural Sector.

The ruined crops include about 929 hectares of orchards and about 500 hectares of vegetables, said the report.

Destruction of vegetation cover and compacting of soil by strikes and tank movements degraded the land, making it difficult to revegetate and vulnerable to becoming barren desert. About 5,200 farmers in Gaza - out of about 10,000 - were directly affected by the offensive, according to UNDP.

Livelihoods at risk

The entry of essential goods to Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossings, including agricultural materials, remains either restricted to limited quantities or denied, leaving Gazan farmers at risk of being unable to replant their crops this season due to the shortage of seeds, fertilizer, plastic sheeting and nets for greenhouses, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The livelihoods of an estimated 10,000 farming families - some 65,500 people - may be affected as a result, the report http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2009_august_english.pdf said.

Roughly two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.5 million people are deemed food insecure, while unemployment hovers over 40 percent, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83757

“FAO and other UN agencies are supplying farmers with materials like animal feed and gardening units for crop production,” said FAO official Erminio Sacco in Jerusalem. “The winter cycle of harvesting is the most important to Gaza farm production.”

According to Israeli Defence Ministry spokesperson Shlomo Dror, there is no shortage of agricultural materials in Gaza.

“We restrict the entry of all materials that can be used to manufacture explosives, which does not include seeds and fertilizer,” said Dror. “Kerem Shalom [Gaza’s only commercial crossing] http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84312 is only capable of handling 100 trucks per day, limiting the amount of materials that can enter, and first priority is for humanitarian goods.”

UNEP report

A recent report http://www.unep.org/PDF/dmb/UNEP_Gaza_EA.pdf by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on environmental conditions in Gaza following the Israeli offensive, estimated that 17 percent of cultivated land, including orchards and greenhouses, was damaged or destroyed.

The report estimates the costs - in terms of damage to farmers' livelihoods as a result of damage and contamination of agricultural land, alongside reconstruction, including ensuring the land is safe to re-plant - at around US$11 million.

Fragile soils

Gaza farmers are facing the challenge of trying to restore their lost agricultural production in a region surrounded by sand dunes and with fragile soils.

With the support of the Dutch government, local NGO Agricultural Development Association (PARC-Gaza) launched several projects in August to help affected farmers, said Thijs Debeij, second secretary of the Representative Office of the Netherlands to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

“Only 25 percent of the agricultural land damaged or destroyed during the war has been rehabilitated by local NGOs and UN agencies,” said PARC director Ahmed Sourani.

FAO estimated http://www.apis.ps/documents/AGR%20Sector%20Gaza%20Report_final.pdf total losses to the Gaza agriculture community as a result of the offensive at US$268 million, including US$180 million in direct damage and US$86 million in projected losses.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86590DAKAR Wednesday, October 14, 2009 (IRIN) - Designed to be safe havens in times of disaster, health facilities are vulnerable to upheaval when catastrophe strikes, according to the UN, which is focusing on hospital safety for International Day for Disaster Reduction. DAKAR Wednesday, October 14, 2009 (IRIN) - Designed to be safe havens in times of disaster, health facilities are vulnerable to upheaval when catastrophe strikes, according to the UN, which is focusing on hospital safety for International Day for Disaster Reduction.

Only half of UN member countries have set aside money for health facility emergency preparedness, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

The world’s 49 least-developed countries house at least 90,000 health facilities, most of which have not been evaluated for disaster preparedness. Latin American and Caribbean countries have created a Hospital Safety Index that has been used in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Oman, Sudan and Tajikistan.

In Burkina Faso September 2009 flooding forced the largest hospital to shut down. The facility is barely functioning six weeks later.  Health Minister Seydou Bouda told IRIN he believes disaster can effect change. “In Burkina Faso nothing will be like it was before. Each [health] sector activity should integrate crisis management into its operations because catastrophe can arrive at any moment.”

UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction Margaret Wahlström said much has been done to boost hospital safety worldwide, but more investment is needed to brace hospitals for potential disasters.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86581NAIROBI Thursday, October 08, 2009 (IRIN) - When an earthquake strikes a town, or a building is levelled by an explosion, news footage invariably shows search and rescue teams trawling through the rubble looking for survivors. But what does it take to rescue people trapped under tons of concrete?NAIROBI Thursday, October 08, 2009 (IRIN) - When an earthquake strikes a town, or a building is levelled by an explosion, news footage invariably shows search and rescue teams trawling through the rubble looking for survivors. But what does it take to rescue people trapped under tons of concrete?

Step one - coordination

The first thing is to activate search and rescue teams, often highly trained volunteers.

"Most of our members are doctors, ambulance operators, engineers or fire fighters," said John Holland, operations director of Rapid UK [http://www.rapidsar.org.uk/], a charitable search and rescue group.

They go through a rigorous two-year training process before they are allowed to assist in disasters.

"We try to deploy within 24 hours because the earlier we are on the ground, the better the chances of rescuing survivors," Holland said. "During the Pakistan earthquake [in 2005], we were able to deploy in 21 hours."

The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) [http://ochaonline.un.org/Coordination/FieldCoordinationSupportSection/INSARAG/tabid/1436/language/en-US/Default.aspx] - a global network of more than 80 countries and disaster response organizations under the UN umbrella - has standardized guidelines for rescue missions.

"Once a government has made that call for international assistance, we alert our members, who begin mobilizing to travel to the area," said INSARAG's Winston Chang, a Singapore Civil Defence Force veteran who coordinated the search and rescue efforts following the recent earthquake in Padang, Indonesia. "We run a portal where once a disaster occurs, we pool information and our various teams can input data on their movements - whether they are on standby, mobilizing or have reached the ground."

INSARAG will usually set up an “on site operations coordination centre” where all search and rescue teams get instructions - depending on their area of specialty - on where to go and how to operate; the desk holds regular meetings to update itself and the teams on the progress being made on the ground.

"These operations can be quite large; just now in Padang, there were a total of 21 teams with 668 personnel and 67 search dogs," Chang said. "They need bases of operation where they will fuel their heavy equipment, coordinate their internal logistics and sleep."

"We also ensure that they follow specific standards of operation and remain culturally sensitive, especially since the teams are from such diverse backgrounds," he added.

Step two - analysis

Once in the disaster area, the first step is to analyze the task at hand, said Julie Ryan, a volunteer with the British NGO, the International Rescue Corps. [http://www.intrescue.co.uk/news/index.php/about-us/home]

In a collapsed building, "you need to analyze the building, assess its history and try to establish where in the building people are most likely to be", she told IRIN. "You also need to determine how badly a building has been damaged and whether it is likely to collapse any further, causing damage to [survivors] and rescue teams."

The assessment also involves checking for hazards such as downed power lines, gas leaks, flooding and hazardous materials. Protective gear includes special suits, gloves, masks, and oxygen and carbon monitoring systems for air quality.

Step three - search mode

At its most basic, this involves trying to spot limbs in the rubble, and calling out to survivors to identify their locations.

Rescuers look for "voids", or pockets where people may be trapped when walls collapse or where survivors may have hidden, such as under desks, in bath tubs or stairwells.

"We feed a camera on the end of a flexible pole into the collapsed building - this shows where people are and how much of the building's structure is left," Ryan said.

"Rescuers also use sound location devices connected to a microphone system; the device bangs on the rubble three times and if people tap back or call out for help, they can be tracked and assisted," she added.

Listening is a crucial part of the operation, and search teams will often stop for several minutes to try to hear any calls, scratches or taps.

Other search tools include a thermal image camera system, which shows areas of body heat, and trained sniffer dogs. "We also use a carbon dioxide analyzer, which helps us detect people who might be unconscious but still breathing," Ryan said.

Buildings that have been searched are marked with INSARAG-recognized signs to avoid duplication of searches.

As survivors are found, rescuers try to get them to keep talking to determine their exact location, and dig towards them - the least dangerous way to do this is by hand.

Step four - the rescue operation

If survivors are trapped under rubble, it may need to be stabilized first; a process called cribbing - the construction of a rectangular wooden framework, a box crib, underneath the debris - may be used.

Survivors who are not able to move usually need to be lifted, dragged or carried out of the rubble using special equipment.

"If people cannot be manually dug out, then we can cut them out - there are specialized tools that can cut through concrete, metal and wood to reach survivors," Ryan said. "There is also a process known as `slabbing’, where heavy slabs of concrete are removed in order to free survivors - this is always a very difficult judgment call, because it risks further collapse, which could injure or kill more people."

Concrete saws, jackhammers, chainsaws, bolt cutters, cranes and bulldozers are all part of the tool kit; chains, cables, anchors and rope-hauling systems are used to remove large pieces of masonry. Other equipment may include flat bags that are inserted under heavy objects and inflated with an air pump, and “shoring” equipment, which ensures passageways are stable and safe.

As survivors are removed, their medical condition is determined; patients are prioritized according to triage - based on the severity of their condition.

Search and rescue teams usually start the most urgent medical procedures on site; the most experienced teams may have defibrillators and endo-tracheal equipment to shock people back to life or perform emergency tracheotomies.

Step five - closure

Deciding when to end a rescue operation is always difficult.

"Obviously, the more time passes the less likely you are to find people alive," said Ryan. "But sometimes - especially if they have water available - people can remain alive for many days. In Pakistan, our team rescued two boys five days after the earthquake; they had survived on trickles of rainwater through the rubble."

According to Ryan, finding bodies - cadaver rescue - after the search for survivors is over is a very important part of any operation.

"Even when people haven't survived the collapse of a building, families find that having a body to bury is an important part of getting closure," she said.

According to INSARAG's Chang, the high octane operations can take their toll on rescuers, especially when they have to pull hundreds of dead people out of buildings.

"Most of them are used to dealing with blood and death in their daily professions, but from time to time it can become very difficult," he said. "Many teams are equipped to deal with trauma - the Swiss government's team, for instance, has a psychologist on hand, while doctors in the Singapore team have been trained to search for signs of trauma in team members."

Once the host government officially calls off the search, INSARAG starts the process of withdrawing the teams. A few remain and become part of the humanitarian relief effort, rebuilding hospitals and schools or shelter for families, but most will head back to their day jobs and await the next call to action

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86493DAKAR Thursday, October 08, 2009 (IRIN) - A landmine survivor in Senegal’s Casamance region on 6 October used the recent report, ‘Voices from the Ground’, based on a survey of mine victims worldwide, to remind aid agencies, Senegal’s anti-mine agency and the media of victims’ needs and governments’ responsibilities. DAKAR Thursday, October 08, 2009 (IRIN) - A landmine survivor in Senegal’s Casamance region on 6 October used the recent report, ‘Voices from the Ground’, based on a survey of mine victims worldwide, to remind aid agencies, Senegal’s anti-mine agency and the media of victims’ needs and governments’ responsibilities.

The Handicap International report, which authors say is the first such compilation of mine victims’ views on assistance, says: “[Landmine] survivors are still too often left to do just that – survive – on the margins of society, when they should be helped to rebuild their lives and thrive in the heart of their communities.”

The report includes input from 1,645 mine survivors in 25 affected countries.

Mamady Gassama of the Senegalese Mine Victims Association highlighted the Senegal portion of the report, which says the government needs to boost national funding for victim assistance rather than depend on donors.

“The government must not leave victims’ needs to – often uncertain – external aid,” said Gassama. Senegal is a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty, which calls on the international community, and individual governments “in a position” to do so, to assist victims.

Mine survivors surveyed said among their greatest needs is assistance in skills training and employment.

np/mad/pthttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86506DUBAI Tuesday, October 06, 2009 (IRIN) - The latest issue of Humanitarian Exchange, a monthly magazine for humanitarian practitioners, highlights “the crisis of dignity” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). A number of articles focus on the impact of the Israeli barrier and closure system.DUBAI Tuesday, October 06, 2009 (IRIN) - The latest issue of Humanitarian Exchange, a monthly magazine for humanitarian practitioners, highlights “the crisis of dignity” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). A number of articles focus on the impact of the Israeli barrier and closure system.

“Locked in by a medieval siege whose enforcers decide what items will be allowed in and what people will eat, Gaza has become a ‘humanitarian welfare society’ supported by the international community,” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in OPT, said in an article in the September issue.

At the same time, despite billions of dollars pledged at the Sharm El-Sheikh donor conference in March 2009, homes and schools cannot be repaired due to the ban on the entry of construction materials, Lazzarini said.

In another article, according to Ray Dolphin, a barrier specialist with OCHA OPT, if construction of the barrier goes ahead as planned, the rural hinterland will be cut off, further reducing Palestinian access to land and water resources.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86461BANGKOK Monday, October 05, 2009 (IRIN) - Most migrants do not move from developing to developed countries, and when they do, rather than hurting host economies, they benefit them, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).BANGKOK Monday, October 05, 2009 (IRIN) - Most migrants do not move from developing to developed countries, and when they do, rather than hurting host economies, they benefit them, according to a new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The UNDP's Human Development Report 2009, launched globally on 5 October in Bangkok, dispels several myths about migration, instead underlining the economic and social benefits for countries.

"Mobility can bring large gains in development," Jeni Klugman, director of the report, told IRIN. "It's presently very much constrained by a whole range of barriers, and reform [of] these barriers could allow much greater potential to be released."

The annual report calls for several migration reforms, including for states to ensure basic rights for migrants, and the mainstreaming of migration into national development plans.

ey/mwhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86431DAKAR Thursday, October 01, 2009 (IRIN) - According to (yet another) new climate change report, this time from development think-tank CGD, these are the 20 cities where the most people will be at the greatest risk from sea level rise and storm surges in the developing world.DAKAR Thursday, October 01, 2009 (IRIN) - According to (yet another) new climate change report, this time from development think-tank CGD, these are the 20 cities where the most people will be at the greatest risk from sea level rise and storm surges in the developing world.

The report’s basic assumptions were: one metre sea-level rise; 10 percent increase in the intensity of a 1-in-100-year storm; UN medium population projections.

Manila, Philippines

Alexandria, Egypt

Lagos, Nigeria

Monrovia, Liberia

Karachi, Pakistan

Aden, Yemen

Jakarta, Indonesia

Port Said, Egypt

Khulna, Bangladesh

Kolkata, India

Bangkok, Thailand

Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire

Cotonou, Benin

Chittagong, Bangladesh

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Yangon, Myanmar

Conakry, Guinea

Luanda, Angola

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Dakar, Senegal


bp/cbhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86388JOHANNESBURG Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (IRIN) - Climate related natural disasters like droughts, hurricanes and floods forced 20 million people - slightly less than the population of Australia - out of their homes in 2008 alone said a new study, making a strong case for regularly monitoring displacement in the context of climate change.JOHANNESBURG Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (IRIN) - Climate related natural disasters like droughts, hurricanes and floods forced 20 million people - slightly less than the population of Australia - out of their homes in 2008 alone said a new study, making a strong case for regularly monitoring displacement in the context of climate change.

A total of 36 million people were displaced worldwide by sudden-onset natural disasters, including earthquakes and landslides. During the same period 4.6 million people were internally displaced by conflicts.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre jointly conducted the study, Monitoring Disaster Displacement in the Context of Climate Change.

"Had it not been for the Sichuan earthquake in China, which displaced 15 million people, climate related disasters would have been responsible for over 90 percent of disaster related displacement in 2008," the study commented.

Using the 2008 data as a test case, the study proposed the ongoing monitoring of disaster related displacement using existing information, such as the Emergency Events Database produced by the Belgium-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, cross-referenced with various other sources, and individually investigating events to estimate the numbers of persons displaced.

The next step is further research into displacement caused by slow-onset disasters and sea level rise. The study also called for a legal framework to protect people forced to cross a border by a natural disaster.

jk/he http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86262GAZA CITY Tuesday, September 15, 2009 (IRIN) - Unless urgent action is taken, the supply of water fit for human use in the Gaza Strip will be depleted in 5-10 years, according to the Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Utility (CMWU) and UN agencies working there.GAZA CITY Tuesday, September 15, 2009 (IRIN) - Unless urgent action is taken, the supply of water fit for human use in the Gaza Strip will be depleted in 5-10 years, according to the Gaza Coastal Municipal Water Utility (CMWU) and UN agencies working there.

Only 5-10 percent of groundwater - the most important supply source for human use (domestic, agricultural and industrial) in Gaza - yields potable water, according to CMWU.

“By 2014, we will have reached a level in the aquifer where the water will not be suitable for human use,” warned CMWU engineer Majed Ghannam. “Every year we are extracting more than we are injecting [via rainfall and lateral/vertical groundwater flows] into the aquifer.”

The poor quality of groundwater is due to over-extraction from the aquifer and this has allowed seawater intrusion - hence the high salinity of Gaza’s groundwater. Much of it is unfit for human use. Tap water in Gaza is known to be very salty and undrinkable.

Poor groundwater quality can also be attributed to pollution from wastewater seepage and the infiltration of agricultural fertilizers, according to a World Bank report [http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWESTBANKGAZA/Resources/WaterRestrictionsReportJuly2009.pdf] released in April.

Climate change, population growth

The decrease in useable water reserves has also been linked to climatic changes, such as lower rainfall, which have slowed the recharge rate of the aquifer.

Other factors are a rapid population growth and increasing suburban sprawl, leaving little space for rainwater catchment areas.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth with 1.6 million Palestinians living in 365sqkm. Its population is expected to increase by 85 percent to close to three million by 2025, according to CMWU.

Desperate to secure safe water resources, the population has responded by drilling private wells - many of them unlicensed - which have further contributed to the degradation of the aquifer, according to the World Bank.

The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), which formulates water policies for the territories, has been effectively suspended in Gaza, as it is a governmental institution of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. There is little contact between the Hamas-led government in Gaza and the PA and there is no contact with the Israeli authorities.

Gaza’s coastal aquifer extends from Haifa in the north to the Sinai desert in the south, and from Mt Hebron in the east to the Mediterranean in the west (Gaza’s coastline).

Israeli “trap wells” allegation

“Unlike the West Bank, Gaza is ‘downstream’ of the portion of the aquifer that lies beneath Israel, with lateral groundwater flows coming from Israel into the Gaza portion of the aquifer,” Ghannam said. “The groundwater underneath Gaza is becoming limited due to Israel’s construction of trap wells [about 27 wells] inside Israel, along Gaza’s eastern political border, siphoning water supplies from the aquifer before they reach Gaza.”

According to the Israeli Water Authority, the Gaza aquifer has no impact on Israel and Israel does not prevent the flow of surface water or groundwater to the Gaza aquifer.

Blockade

Since 2005, Gaza’s water supply has also been affected by restricted access to power, fuel and spare parts, the World Bank said.

Equipment and supplies needed for the construction, maintenance and operation of water and sanitation facilities have been denied entry to Gaza under the more that two-year Israeli blockade of the enclave, tightened after Hamas seized power in June 2007. [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85822]

Israel says that for security reasons it cannot allow certain materials into Gaza.

Gaza’s wastewater infrastructure, which provides partial and intermittent water treatment, is also in desperate need of repair. Most sewage goes raw to lagoons and the sea, or seeps through the soil and reaches the aquifer, according to the World Bank report.

Households unconnected to wastewater networks use cesspits, which are not properly emptied, due to the economic crisis and a lack of materials.

“Fifty percent of Gaza households use septic tanks to dispose of sewage,” said Ghannam. “Materials used to line and insulate the septic tanks are unavailable due to the closures.”

Water and sanitation conditions worsened further during and after Israel’s 23-day offensive which ended on 18 January 2009, due to infrastructure damage.

About 10,000 Gaza residents do not have taps in or near their homes and an additional 60 percent of the population - about one million people - do not have continuous access to water, according to CMWU deputy director Maher Najjar.

Gaza has a master plan for water and sanitation but less that 2 percent of it has been implemented because of the Israeli blockade. Even small relief projects have had to be abandoned due to a lack of materials, according to the World Bank report.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86151BEIRUT Thursday, September 10, 2009 (IRIN) - The politics of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, a rugged sliver of mountainside wedged between Lebanon, Israel and Syria, have long overshadowed what some Lebanese environmentalists call “the real issue” of the disputed area: its water resources.BEIRUT Thursday, September 10, 2009 (IRIN) - The politics of the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms, a rugged sliver of mountainside wedged between Lebanon, Israel and Syria, have long overshadowed what some Lebanese environmentalists call “the real issue” of the disputed area: its water resources.

Now activists are calling for hydro-diplomacy to take precedence over political manoeuvring as the most effective solution to one of the key stumbling blocks to Middle East peace.

Rising Temperatures Rising Tensions, [http://www.iisd.org/publications/pub.aspx?id=1130] a report published in June by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, considers water to be a major trigger for conflict in the Middle East, the world’s most water scarce region.

Lebanon and Syria say the Shebaa Farms, measuring just 22sqkm, is Lebanese territory, though the UN has ruled it part of the Syrian Golan Heights, which lie just to the east, across water-rich Mount Hermon.

Both the Golan and Shebaa were occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 and the Israelis say disengagement from Shebaa can only come under a peace deal with Syria and withdrawal from the Golan.

However, Fadi Comair, director-general of Hydraulic and Electric Resources at the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water, argues there is more to Israel’s occupation of Shebaa than military-strategic concerns: “Israel’s occupation of the Shebaa Farms has to do with control of its water.”

Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that fought Israel to a bloody stalemate in 2006, has the liberation of Shebaa as one of its strategic objectives.

Water scarcity

Meeting the water needs of their rapidly growing populations has long been an existential challenge for the governments of the arid Middle East. Climate change [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85698] is making that challenge more urgent and acute.

Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) all fall well below the internationally accepted threshold of 1,000 cubic metres of water per person per year (cmwpy). According to the IISD, Israel has natural renewable water resources of 265 cmwpy, Jordan 169, and OPT just 90. Only Lebanon and Syria have water surpluses, with Lebanon having a potential of 1,220 cmwpy and Syria 1,541.

Yet supply is dwindling rapidly. By 2025 water use in Israel is estimated to fall to 310 cmwpy, while the country’s own Environment Ministry has warned that water supply may fall by 60 percent of 2000 levels by 2100.

River Jordan

The IISD report goes even further, warning that the River Jordan, which is the key supplier of water to Israel, Jordan and OPT, could shrink as much as 80 percent by the end of the century.

Such drastic scarcity makes securing water supplies vital. The River Jordan rises in Mount Hermon, fed by tributaries in the Golan Heights and Shebaa Farms, and flows into the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Tiberius, before continuing south where it forms the boundary between Jordan, to the east, and the West Bank. After 320km it empties into the Dead Sea.

Major tributaries of the river include the Hasbani, which flows into Israel from Lebanon, and the Banias, which flows from Syria. The River Dan, which also supplies the River Jordan, is the only river originating in Israel.

Water wars

The absence of hydro-diplomacy reflects conflict in the region. In 1965, Syria and Lebanon began the construction of channels to divert the Banias and Hasbani, preventing the rivers flowing into Israel. The Israelis attacked the diversion works, the first in a series of moves that led to a regional war two years later.

In 2002, when the Lebanese constructed a pipeline on the River Wazzani intended to supply households in southern Lebanon with water, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared the action a causus belli. In the July War of 2006, Israeli warplanes targeted southern Lebanon’s water network. [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70642]

Bassam Jaber, a water expert at Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water, argues the Shebaa is critical to Israel’s water needs, “especially because fresh water is critical when all sources within Israel are salty. The flows from the area help to regulate the saltiness of Lake Tiberius”.

And it is not just the direct overland flow that the Shebaa provides Israel. According to the Lebanese Water Ministry’s Comair, 30-40 percent of the River Dan’s water flows into it through underground supplies originating in the Shebaa. “Israel is worried that if Lebanon gains control of the Shebaa, it can then control the flow to the Dan river,” said Comair.

Hydro-diplomacy

As one of only eight states to have ratified the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, [http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/8_3_1997.pdf] Lebanon is calling on Israel to do the same.

“Israel is not a signatory to the relevant conventions on water, which is a big problem since they are at the centre of the issue of equitable use of water and reasonable sharing,” said Comair.

Israel has already shown that water can play a role in peacemaking. Its 1994 peace agreement with Jordan included a commitment to transfer 75 million cubic metres of water per year to Jordan in return for secure borders to the east.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water is now calling for a regional water basin authority for the River Jordan, which would include Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and OPT. “How can you reach any agreements on the equitable sharing of international watercourses if there is no cooperation?” asked Comair.

Water solutions for all?

Not all are convinced Israel’s occupation of Shebaa is primarily about securing water.

“Water is no doubt one aspect of the socio-political conflict, but it is not the main driver,” said Mutasem el-Fadel, director of the Water Resources Center at the American University of Beirut.

He points to several projects currently being studied that could solve Israel’s water needs, without requiring continued occupation of the Shebaa, such as the Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal Project, [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79564] the Mini-Peace pipeline from Turkey, wastewater reclamation plans and desalination projects.

“All combined they can be the water solution for all five countries in the area,” said el-Fadel.

But in the absence of hydro-diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon, the continued Israeli occupation of the Shebaa Farms will remain a key trigger to renewed conflict between the two countries.

“There will not be enough water for our generation or the next,” said Comair. “We will see social, economic, political and military conflicts - and in that order - within the next 20 years.”

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86092GAZA CITY Wednesday, September 09, 2009 (IRIN) - Some 1,200 students at al-Karmel High School for boys in Gaza City returned to class on 25 August without history and English textbooks, or notebooks and pens - all unavailable on the local market.GAZA CITY Wednesday, September 09, 2009 (IRIN) - Some 1,200 students at al-Karmel High School for boys in Gaza City returned to class on 25 August without history and English textbooks, or notebooks and pens - all unavailable on the local market.

Severe damage to the school - caused during the 23-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip which ended on 18 January - has yet to be repaired. Al-Karmel’s principal, Majed Yasin, has had to cover scores of broken windows with plastic sheeting.

“The entire west side of the school was damaged adjacent to Abbas police station which was targeted on 27 December,” said Yasin. “We have yet to repair the US$65,000-worth of damage, since glass and other building materials are still unavailable.”

Educational institutions across Gaza are still reeling from the effects of the Israeli offensive, [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85822] compounded by the more than two-year Israeli blockade (tightened after Hamas seized power in June 2007), according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

At least 280 schools out of 641 in Gaza were damaged and 18 destroyed during the military operation. None have been rebuilt or repaired to date due to continued restrictions on the entry of construction materials, OCHA reported. [http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_protection_of_civilianc_weekly_report_2009_09_03_english.pdf]

At the start of the new school year, all 387 government-run primary and secondary schools serving 240,000 students - and 33 private sector schools serving 17,000 students - lack essential education materials, according to the education ministry in Gaza.

Half of all students lack at least one textbook for their coursework this term, the ministry said.

“The war had, and continues to have, a severely negative impact on the entire education system,” Yousef Ibrahim, deputy education minister in Gaza, said. “About 15,000 students from government schools have been transferred to other schools for second shifts, significantly shortening class time.”

He said the damaged schools lacked toilets and water and electricity networks; their classrooms were overcrowded, and they also suffered from shortages of basic items such as desks, doors, chairs and ink for printing.

UNRWA schools affected

More than 80 percent of government-run schools and those run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) now have a second shift, according to Ibrahim.

The 221 primary and secondary schools run by UNRWA (in addition to government and privately run schools) are also struggling to accommodate 200,000 students this school year.

“We have only provided the minimum amount of stationery and textbooks to our students, since it is very difficult to bring in these materials and they are unavailable on the local market,” said UNRWA spokesperson Milina Shahin in Gaza.

UNRWA schools are also missing items such as lab equipment, calculators, desks, tables, chairs, and even crayons, said Shahin.

UNRWA planned to build 100 new schools this year, but has had to give up the idea due to a lack of building materials. Thirty-five UNRWA schools are still without windows as a result of the offensive, due to a lack of glass, Shahin said.

“There is no generator at al-Karmel High. The lack of electricity, often all day, is a real challenge for our teachers,” said al-Karmel principal Yasin.

Truckloads of stationery await clearance

Since the beginning of 2009, Israel has allowed 174 truckloads of educational materials to enter Gaza. Of these, only two were carrying stationery, in July and August, OCHA said.

According to the Palestine Trade Centre (PalTrade) and local suppliers, there are nearly 120 truckloads of stationery awaiting clearance to enter.

Ghazi Hamad, head of borders and crossings under the Hamas-led government in Gaza, said some educational materials, such as notebooks and clothing, had entered Gaza via underground tunnels from Egypt, but this was only a token amount.

Teaching has also been affected by the Fatah-Hamas rift: Of the 11,000 teachers in Gaza, 7,000 are employed by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah (West Bank). Half of these did not return to teach this school year, according to deputy education minister Ibrahim.

“We had to replace them with less qualified teachers, while they chose to stay at home,” he said.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=86072TEL AVIV Thursday, September 03, 2009 (IRIN) - Palestinian East Jerusalem lacks public educational facilities and many classrooms are cramped, according to a new report by Ir Amim, an NGO working in East Jerusalem, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).TEL AVIV Thursday, September 03, 2009 (IRIN) - Palestinian East Jerusalem lacks public educational facilities and many classrooms are cramped, according to a new report by Ir Amim, an NGO working in East Jerusalem, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

About 94,000 school age Palestinian children live in East Jerusalem, said the report, which was based on municipality records and public and private schools’ enrolment data, and published on 31 August.

East Jerusalem is poor, school drop-out rates are higher than in other parts of the city, and many children do not attend school. Expenditure on education in West Jerusalem is 2-4 times higher than in East Jerusalem, according to the Haaretz newspaper, though the municipality is reportedly seeking to close the gap. Educational attainment in Arab communities is generally much lower than in Jewish communities, according to a report by the Avda Centre, an Israeli NGO.

Nirit Moskovitch, a spokesperson for ACRI, told IRIN: “We argue that every child must have a place in a public classroom… Not only has the municipality failed to provide that, but many of the classrooms are not fit for learning in, are in rented buildings, have tiny stifling classrooms, no yards, and some are an actual health hazard.”

Ahmad Mustafa Sub Laban, a field researcher with Ir Amim, said they had seen many classrooms where 36 students sit in classrooms measuring 12 square metres, in the stifling summer heat.

“There are no yards to play in, and there is no equipment other than a board and desks, nothing to allow these children to enjoy their childhood. In one school we saw a new building but there was no equipment in any of the computer or chemistry labs,” he said.

A Jerusalem Municipality spokesperson said the municipality was in the process of building 248 new classrooms in East Jerusalem and that in 2007-2009 the municipality had built 200 new classrooms and was trying to identify land on which to build more schools.

The Israeli state comptroller’s report of 6 May 2009 says the public education system in East Jerusalem is 1,000 classrooms short, and that the need is growing as more children are born and parents cannot afford private schools.

Enrolment

Some 5,500 Palestinian children in East Jerusalem (just over 5 percent) appear not to be enrolled in either public or private schools. A further 30,000 attend private schools, or schools run by `Waqfs’ (Muslim religious foundations) or the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), according to the report.

According to the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS), the Arab education system in East Jerusalem has 75,000 enrolled students during the current 2008/2009 school year: 41,000 in the municipal education system, 13,000 in recognized unofficial schools , and an estimated 21,000 students in private schools.

Law breached?

Israel’s compulsory education law requires the state to provide education to all citizens and residents aged 5-16. The law also stipulates that all children over the age of five who have been residing in Israel for over two months are eligible for free education regardless of the legal status of their parents, according to the Ministry of Education.

Despite this, many Palestinian families have little option but to pay some US$500 a year per child for private education, according to Ir Amim and ACRI. This can become a heavy burden where more than one child is involved, observers say.

Palestinians in East Jerusalem are considered residents of Jerusalem but not citizens of Israel. After the 1967 war they were given blue ID cards and permanent residence, but not Israeli citizenship. This means they are entitled to the same education as Israeli citizens, and have basically the same rights, except that they cannot vote in national elections or carry an Israeli passport.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85983 GAZA CITY Monday, August 31, 2009 (IRIN) - Ramadan, a festive time in many parts of the Muslim world, is bleak in Gaza because basic and traditional foodstuffs are unavailable due to the Israeli blockade, or out of reach due to soaring prices and poverty, according to officials. GAZA CITY Monday, August 31, 2009 (IRIN) - Ramadan, a festive time in many parts of the Muslim world, is bleak in Gaza because basic and traditional foodstuffs are unavailable due to the Israeli blockade, or out of reach due to soaring prices and poverty, according to officials.

"Items such as tea, cheese and powdered milk are not generally allowed to be imported into Gaza by the private sector, according to the Israeli authorities," said Hamada Al-Bayari from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza.

In the early hours before 'Iftar', a family meal before the daily fast begins at dawn, Gaza City's central marketplace, Palestine Square, is bustling with shoppers, but many Gazans say they struggle to find and afford traditional Ramadan foods like pickles, dates and jam due to a more than two-year Israeli blockade of the territory.

"People do not have enough money to buy [special food] for Ramadan," said Mohammed Al-Halu, 40, a father of four from Gaza City. "The borders are closed; there are products from the tunnels [along the Egyptian border], but the prices are very high."

"Market prices in Gaza have increased dramatically over the past two years, and the price of fruit, vegetables and processed foods remains high," said Al-Bayari.

"The level of poverty and unemployment is so high, people cannot afford to pay the prices," said UN World Food Programme (WFP) officer Jeannoel Gentile in Gaza. There is a shortage of coffee, tomato paste, canned meats, and Ramadan sweets like `halwa', while the availability of fresh meat is precarious, said Gentile.

According to a July report from the Humanitarian Policy Group on protection and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, prior to the 23-day Israeli offensive which ended on 18 January 2009, 56 percent of the population were food insecure, a figure thought to have risen to over 76 percent as a result of the conflict.

A June 2009 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said a household survey in May 2008 showed that, even then, over 70 percent of Gazans were living in poverty, with monthly incomes of less than US$250 for a family of 7-9 members.

Commodities entering Gaza

The logistics cluster, and interagency aid group led by WFP, is in continuous contact with Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) as to what commodities are allowed to enter Gaza; it is unclear exactly which items are prohibited.

"Only humanitarian supplies can enter [Gaza], including medical supplies and food supplies that qualify as basic needs of the population stipulated by international organizations," Israeli Defence Ministry spokesperson Shlomo Dror told IRIN.

"About 100 trucks enter [Gaza] per day with all the supplies via Kerem Shalom crossing, in addition to wheat via Karni [crossing], and fuel and gas supplies via Nahel Oz [fuel depot]," said Dror.

In July 2009, the daily average number of trucks entering Gaza via Israeli-controlled crossings was 83, while in January 2007 the daily average was 631, just before the Hamas electoral victory in the legislative council elections, said Al-Bayari.

"Just 15 percent of the food commodities necessary for the Gaza population are allowed to enter via Israeli-controlled crossings, while another 15-20 percent of the necessary food commodities enter via underground tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, meaning about 30 percent of food supply needs are being met," said Rafiq Al-Madhoun, food security officer with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Gaza.

Food via the tunnels

People try to meet their basic food needs from products entering Gaza via tunnel. However, tunnel food has often been poorly stored and prices are high, said Al-Madhoun.

Many Gaza residents blame Egypt for their suffering, since the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border remains closed to imports.

"The country lacks an economy; there are no jobs," said 70-year-old Um Fahed, scouring the market for affordable food to put on her Ramadan table. "Egypt must open Rafah crossing so I can feed my grandchildren."

US$3 million worth of private sector goods, including commodities like milk and cheese, were confiscated by the Egyptian authorities, according to a Hamas member who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity and claimed to own and operate four tunnels.

"The tunnels are often attacked," said the alleged tunnel owner, explaining that many tunnels are earmarked for different types of imports. "Some are strictly for Hamas and others for electronics," he said.

The Egyptian representative to the Palestinian territories in Ramallah (West Bank) declined to comment. The Egyptian consulate in Gaza has been closed since Hamas took control in June 2007.

UNRWA Ramadan appeal

Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) launched a Gaza Ramadan Appeal for US$181 million on 17 August, in a bid to restore "a minimum standard of dignity" to Palestinian refugees living in the Strip.

So far the only firm pledge is from the UAE Red Crescent Society - US$100,000 in cash and hot meals during Ramadan to refugees in Gaza, said Sami Mshasha, UNRWA spokesperson in Jerusalem.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85930DUBAI Wednesday, August 26, 2009 (IRIN) - Far fewer Muslims than normal are undertaking the lesser pilgrimage known as ‘Umrah’ because of coordinated efforts by health ministers in the Gulf and beyond to counter the spread of H1N1 2009.DUBAI Wednesday, August 26, 2009 (IRIN) - Far fewer Muslims than normal are undertaking the lesser pilgrimage known as ‘Umrah’ because of coordinated efforts by health ministers in the Gulf and beyond to counter the spread of swine flu.

The numbers are some 30 percent down on normal levels and a variety of precautions are in place.

According to a 23 August World Health Organization update, there were 3,128 laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic H1N1 (swine flu) reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Saudi Arabia had the highest number of cases with 595 and four deaths, followed by Kuwait with 560 cases and no deaths, and Egypt with 509 cases and one death.

However, WHO figures are far more conservative than those of local governments. Earlier this week, the Saudi Health Ministry reported that its H1N1 cases had reached 2,000, with 14 deaths, and the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported 1,072 cases and two fatalities in Kuwait.

WHO has expressed concern that there may be a second wave of the virus because of the approaching cooler season.

Precautions

The authorities in the Middle East have urged Muslims to avoid the `Hajj’ in late November and `Umrah’, if possible, and have banned travel there for those below 12 or over 65, as well as for pregnant women and those suffering from chronic diseases such as uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, bronchial diseases and obesity.

Iran has banned all its citizens from making the `Umrah’ pilgrimage this year and has cancelled all flights to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan, which ends around 19 September.

Airports and border crossings in the region have installed flu surveillance equipment and quarantine procedures, and pandemic H1N1 awareness campaigns are widespread. Health ministries have advised people to avoid large gatherings, whether religious or not, and to avoid the social custom of kissing and shaking hands at gatherings.

The United Arab Emirates, which recorded its first H1N1 death on 21 August, is considering reducing the duration of Friday sermons in mosques and the daily ‘Tarawih’ prayers that occur only in Ramadan.

Mecca and Medina

`Hajj’ and `Umrah’ tour operators are worried about the impact on their businesses. Some have said governments have over-reacted to what is, so far, not a particularly lethal virus. Tour operators across the region have complained of mass cancellations of `Hajj’ and `Umrah’ trips and have said they stand to lose millions of dollars because of commitments already made to Mecca hotels.

In Mecca, business could fall by 40 percent during Ramadan, according to the Mecca Chamber of Commerce, and in neighbouring Medina, officials said they expected business to be down by 70 percent.

A panel of experts is being set up in Mecca specifically to deal with the H1N1 virus for `Hajj’ and `Umrah’ pilgrims. Saad Al-Qurashi, chairman of the National Hajj & Umrah Committee, told Arab News that the panel would be distributing surgical masks to `Umrah’ pilgrims and would hold workshops to spread awareness of the necessary precautions to be taken.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85855TEL AVIV Monday, August 24, 2009 (IRIN) - Israel has eased some of its travel restrictions for Palestinians in the West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson’s unit. TEL AVIV Monday, August 24, 2009 (IRIN) - Israel has eased some of its travel restrictions for Palestinians in the West Bank during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson’s unit.

Two West Bank crossings will now stay open till midnight instead of 7pm: Jalama, north of Jenin, and Beit Mishpat near Ramallah. All other checkpoints are set to operate as usual.

Israel’s Arab citizens will be allowed to enter Bethlehem via the Rachel crossing to visit their families in the West Bank, and some Palestinian families who have relatives in Israel will be given permission to cross into Israel for a week, according to IDF.

Only Palestinian men over 50 and women over 45 will be allowed to enter Jerusalem’s Temple Mount for prayers at al-Aqsa mosque, IDF said.

According to an IDF spokesperson, the Israeli authorities have briefed all their forces on the new measures, and have also instructed IDF soldiers in the West Bank to refrain from eating and drinking in public as a mark of respect.

Sarit Michaeli, a spokesperson for the Israeli B'tselem human rights NGO, said there are currently 39 crossings/checkpoints operating between Israel and the West Bank and about 60 more in the West Bank, some manned 24/7, others randomly. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’s (OCHA’s) West Bank Access and Movement Update June 2009, there are 68 checkpoints in the West Bank.

While B'tselem recognizes a certain easing of the checks being carried out at checkpoints inside the West Bank, it says this is only inside the main West Bank area itself, and mainly for vehicles.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Monitor July 2009, there were no major changes in Palestinian movement and access in July; the easing reported over the past few months continues, while the number of “closure obstacles” - checkpoints, roadblocks, metal gates, earth mounds, walls, trenches and other barriers - in and around the West Bank and Gaza remains constant, with a total of 614 staffed and unstaffed obstacles in July, compared to 613 in June.

Aid workers have long complained that the existence of such obstacles impedes the delivery of humanitarian aid.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85823GAZA CITY Sunday, August 23, 2009 (IRIN) - A new UN report describes the devastating humanitarian impact of two years of Israel’s “unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip”. GAZA CITY Sunday, August 23, 2009 (IRIN) - A new UN report describes the devastating humanitarian impact of two years of Israel’s “unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip”.

Released in August by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Jerusalem, the report details the rapid deterioration of livelihoods, food security, education, health, shelter, energy and water and sanitation inside Gaza.

“The blockade has ‘locked in’ 1.5 million people in what is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences,” said the report.

Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June 2007, Israel closed all Gaza’s border crossings, and imposed import and export restrictions and a travel ban to and from Gaza.

Israel’s 23-day military offensive in Gaza, which ended on 18 January 2009, as well as internal conflicts between Fatah and Hamas, have compounded the suffering of the population, said the report.

‘Blockade’ or ‘sanctions’?

Israel objects to the use of the word ‘blockade’ and has said its policy is to make sure the people of Gaza receive humanitarian support.

“We have imposed sanctions on the Gaza Strip; ‘blockade’ is an incorrect term since every day scores of trucks are entering Gaza and the pipelines that bring fuel and water into the Gaza Strip from Israel are open,” Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli prime minister’s office, told IRIN.

Attorney Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, a legal consultant in Gaza for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said sanctions are generally “approved and imposed by the UN Security Council” and that a “blockade is when one entity blocks the borders of another entity; it is an action outside of international law”.

Borders closed

According to OCHA, Karni, the largest and best equipped commercial crossing between Israel and Gaza, has been closed since June 2007, with the exception of a conveyor belt that only transfers grains.

Of Gaza’s other four main crossings, Kerem Shalom opens six days a week for limited movement of authorized goods, Rafah border with Egypt opens on an ad hoc basis, Nahal Oz partially opens five days a week for limited types of fuels and Erez opens six days a week for international aid workers and medical and humanitarian cases.

“The lack of essential imports, including raw materials, coupled with the ban on exports, has decimated economic activity in the private sector and resulted in the loss of approximately 120,000 jobs,” said the report, adding that about 75 percent of Gaza’s population is food insecure due to soaring food prices, poverty and destruction of agricultural areas.

Lengthy inspection procedures at border crossings have also delayed the entry of many vital goods and led to some going to waste. The OCHA report says there are currently an estimated 1,700 commercial containers with imported goods on hold in warehouses in the West Bank and Israel, causing an estimated loss of US$10 million.

According to Regev, the Israeli government’s criteria to lift the ‘sanctions’ are the release of a captured Israeli soldier; the halting of sporadic rocket-fire from Gaza into Israel; and the acceptance by Hamas of three principles: renunciation of violence, recognition of Israel and respect for existing peace agreements.

“The regime in Gaza is stuck in an extremist theology and has declared war on Israel,” said Regev. The Israeli government has no direct communication with the Hamas government, he added.

Mahmoud Zahar, one the most senior Hamas leaders, told IRIN in Gaza City: “The Hamas government in Gaza has stopped all rocket-fire into Israel since January 2009.”

es/at/edhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85822GAZA CITY Thursday, August 20, 2009 (IRIN) - Inadequate infrastructure, lack of equipment and a shortage of hospital staff are contributing to the deterioration of hospital care for mothers and newborns in Gaza, according to a July 2009 assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem.GAZA CITY Thursday, August 20, 2009 (IRIN) - Inadequate infrastructure, lack of equipment and a shortage of hospital staff are contributing to the deterioration of hospital care for mothers and newborns in Gaza, according to a July 2009 assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem.

WHO attributes the dismal state of Gaza’s healthcare system to the Israeli blockade since June 2007, when Hamas took over control of the territory.

“The Israeli blockade affects the supply of medical equipment and conditions in the maternity wards, and perpetuates the isolation of healthcare professionals, making it difficult to maintain international standards of practice,” said Tony Laurence, head of the WHO West Bank and Gaza Office in Jerusalem.

The maintenance and updating of equipment is not adequate, and the supply of drugs and laboratory materials is not constant, according to WHO.

“Ten types of essential medications for maternal care, like Prostin gel that induces labour, are out of stock,” said Munir Al-Bursh, head of Gaza’s Department of Pharmaceuticals, adding that they were unable to import spare parts for ultra-sound equipment and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners.

Safa Ahmed, aged 21, gave birth to her baby girl Rataj this week at As-Shifa, Gaza’s primary hospital, but was discharged just two hours after the delivery.

Mothers stay an average of two hours in Gaza hospitals after delivery due to a lack of beds, said the WHO report, which advocated that they stay in hospital for at least six hours after delivery for post-partum examinations.

As-Shifa’s overcrowded maternity unit deals with an average of 1,200 births a month.

“There were 7-8 women per room,” said Safa. “My husband had to look in pharmacies outside the hospital for Prostin gel and blood thinners while I was delivering.” Patients say those drugs are not readily available. If the drugs are provided by the hospital they are covered by the patient’s insurance, but if bought at a pharmacy outside, the patient pays out of her own pocket.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provides some medications and medical supplies, but they are not always able to bring things in, said ICRC’s communications officer in Gaza Mustafa Abu-Hassanain.

Few trained midwives

There is a lack of professional staff in maternity and neonatal wards, particularly trained midwives, said Lubna Al-Sharif, a WHO officer in Gaza. “Knowledge is outdated regarding international standards of proper mother and child healthcare, due to the isolation created by prolonged border closures,” said Al-Sharif.

“There is a lack of working foetal monitors and incubator parts, like ultra-violet lamps,” said Al-Sharif, “and there are problems with infection control resulting from a lack of sinks, soaps and hand towels.”

The blockade prohibits imports of construction materials like cement - without which it is difficult to rehabilitate and maintain hospitals, according to WHO.

Shlomo Dror, a spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Defence, said: “Medical supplies have priority [as imports into Gaza], and secondly is food from international organizations. There is a government decision not to allow a humanitarian crisis to occur in Gaza."

The Israeli Defence Ministry says it is not obliged to allow into Gaza anything other than basic humanitarian supplies necessary for survival, and is concerned certain medical technologies could be used for other more sinister means.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85786GAZA CITY Wednesday, August 19, 2009 (IRIN) - Arafat Hamdona, 20, has been confined to the cancer unit of As-Shifa, Gaza’s primary hospital, since he was diagnosed with maxillary skin tumours in June 2008. Red lesions protrude from his face, his features are distorted and his eyes swollen shut.GAZA CITY Wednesday, August 19, 2009 (IRIN) - Arafat Hamdona, 20, has been confined to the cancer unit of As-Shifa, Gaza’s primary hospital, since he was diagnosed with maxillary skin tumours in June 2008. Red lesions protrude from his face, his features are distorted and his eyes swollen shut.

In April, Arafat was permitted to travel to Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem where he received three series of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. He was scheduled to return for further treatment, but has not been granted permission by the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza.

“He is only given pain killers,” said Arafat’s father, Faraj Hamdona, explaining that that is all As-Shifa has to offer.

According to a July 2009 report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jerusalem, Gaza doctors and nurses do not have the medical equipment to respond to the health needs of the 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip.

Medical equipment is often broken, lacking spare parts, or outdated.

WHO attributes the dismal state of Gaza’s healthcare system to the Israeli blockade of the territory, tightened in June 2007 after Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the West, seized control. The poor organization of maintenance services in Gaza compounds the problem, reports WHO.

Medical equipment sits idle

Some 500 tons of donations of medical equipment which flooded the Strip after Israel’s military offensive ended on 18 January sits idle in warehouses. Few donors consulted the health ministry or aid agencies working in Gaza to find out what provisions were needed. According to the health ministry, 20 percent of the donated medications had expired. WHO said much of the equipment sent was old and unusable due to a lack of spare parts.

WHO also said suppliers were unable to access medical equipment for repairs and maintenance and “since 2000, maintenance staff and clinical workers have not been able to leave the Strip for training in the use of medical devices”.

The Israeli Defence Ministry says it is not obliged to allow into Gaza anything other than basic humanitarian supplies necessary for survival, and is concerned certain medical technology could be used for other more sinister means. Gaza’s only other connection to the outside world is its border crossing with Egypt, which is closed most of the time.

The lack of proper medical care in Gaza can have dire consequences.

“The largest number of deaths due to the siege is among cancer patients,” Gaza deputy health minister Hassan Halifa said. “Radiotherapy for cancer patients is not available due to the lack of equipment, and chemotherapy is generally not available due to the lack of drugs.”

Lack of drugs, medical supplies

In July, 77 out of 480 essential drugs and 140 out of 700 essential medical supplies in Gaza’s health ministry were out of stock, according to WHO.

Ismail Ahmed, a 66-year-old from Shujayah, also lies in the cancer unit of As-Shifa, with a catheter for urination flowing into a wastebasket.

“We lack necessary equipment for the patients,” Abdullah Farajullah, a nurse at the unit, said.

Suffering from bladder cancer, Ismail requires blood transfusions.

“There are not enough IV [intravenous] bags. The nurses put blood into plastic water bottles to transfer into my IV bag,” Ismail said.

Due to a lack of equipment, he has been on a waiting list for over a month to have a CT (computed tomography) scan, and requires an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) - although Gaza lacks a single working MRI scanner, according to WHO.

As-Shifa lacks equipment for basic blood tests. Patients rely on family members to take their blood to certain clinics for testing.

Limited electricity

Another problem for medics in Gaza is the irregular electricity supply, which affects sensitive medical equipment such as incubators and kidney dialysis machines.

Hospitals in Gaza use uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems as backups, but they require batteries which are often not available due to border closures with Israel and Egypt, according to WHO.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is funding and supplying 30 percent of medications and medical supplies in Gaza, said communications officer Mustafa Abu-Hassanain in Gaza.

“Most of the other 70 percent comes from the health ministry in Ramallah, paid for by the Palestinian Authority budget,” said Tony Laurance, head of WHO’s West Bank and Gaza Office in Jerusalem.

There is a dialogue between the health ministry in Gaza and the ministry in Ramallah (under Fatah’s control). Deliveries must be approved by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit of the Israeli Ministry of Defence, before being allowed into Gaza, explained Laurance.

This supply chain is unpredictable and exacerbated by the conflict between Fatah and Hamas.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85768DAKAR Tuesday, August 18, 2009 (IRIN) - On the first-ever World Humanitarian Day, as the UN spotlights fallen aid workers and growing humanitarian needs, experts say a trend toward integrating aid goals into broader social and security agendas has contributed to an erosion of “humanitarian space”. IRIN looks at why, and at how donors, UN agencies and NGOs might ensure that it does not shrink for good. DAKAR Tuesday, August 18, 2009 (IRIN) - On the first-ever World Humanitarian Day [http://ochaonline.un.org/News/WorldHumanitarianDay/tabid/5677/language/en-US/Default.aspx] on 19 August, when the UN spotlights fallen aid workers and growing humanitarian needs, experts say a trend toward integrating aid goals into broader social and security agendas has contributed to an erosion of “humanitarian space”. IRIN looks at why, and at how donors, UN agencies and NGOs might ensure that it does not shrink for good.

Lacking any formal definition, the term “humanitarian space” has been taken to encompass any or all of the following: physical locations safe from attack in a conflict; respect for core humanitarian principles, independence, impartiality and neutrality; and the ability of aid agencies to access and help civilians affected by conflict.

By any of these definitions, observers say, humanitarian space is shrinking, with decreasing access to beneficiaries and increasing attacks on beneficiaries and aid staff. [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84961].

Factors squeezing humanitarian space, according to the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), [http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/iasc/pageloader.aspx?page=content-about-default] include a trend toward coherence between political and humanitarian agendas; [http://www.humanitarianoutcomes.org/pdf/HumanitarianFinancingReview2008.pdf] blurred distinctions between the roles of military and humanitarian organizations; political manipulation of humanitarian assistance; perceived lack of independence of humanitarian actors from donors or from host governments; a perceived social, cultural or religious agenda by humanitarian workers; and a breakdown of law and order.

Coherence and integration – riskier?

Donor governments started to move towards coherence of humanitarian and political agendas in the early 1990s based on the growing recognition that complex emergencies were in essence politically driven and aid alone could not solve them. [http://www.odihpn.org/report.asp?id=2607]

Further, counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency efforts have contributed to a shift in military policy towards integration of security, political, humanitarian, reconstruction and economic activities. There has also been an expansion in the number of UN peacekeeping missions with a focus on civilian protection.

In 2000 the UN system officially endorsed “integrated missions” to channel UN forces and agencies towards a common political, military and humanitarian goal, putting at their head a single Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) and placing a humanitarian coordinator under the SRSG’s management.

And over the past decade some humanitarian agencies have expanded their assistance beyond “life-saving” activities to embrace advocacy, peace-building and human rights promotion among other goals, said Overseas Development Institute (ODI) researcher Samir Elhawary.

“More and more [aid] agencies feel they have to go beyond life-saving…Peace-building, and conflict resolution have been applied to humanitarian relief, which has made relief seem more political. It is not just about saving lives but also about social transformation and tackling the root causes of conflict.”

In this mix humanitarian objectives can be subsumed by wider political and military goals, say humanitarian experts. In Sudan the international community is running one of the world’s biggest humanitarian operations, facilitating a peace process, pushing human rights and justice through the International Criminal Court, and promoting the comprehensive peace agreement between north and south Sudan.

“Some might say these roles are complementary but the expulsion of aid agencies in Sudan is an indication that these objectives might not be so compatible,” Elhawary told IRIN. [http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=83311]

Impact

Insecurity linked to coherence policies has diminished aid agencies’ ability to access beneficiaries, experts say. In the case of Iraq many international NGOs have left; about 60 remain, many of them managed remotely and with uneven geographical distribution, according to a March 2009 ODI report, ‘Providing Aid in Insecure Environments’. [http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/3250.pdf]

More aid workers died in 2008 than in any other year, the report says, arguing that the increase was partly a result of this coherence push. Some 75 percent of attacks – which the ODI says were “increasingly politically motivated” – occurred in Afghanistan, Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, where aid agencies are often funded by governments humanitarian actors are now “not only perceived to be cooperating with Western political actors, but…as wholly a part of the western agenda,” the ODI notes in its report.

However, attacks decreased for the International Red Cross Movement, which has pushed its purely humanitarian, neutral line.

Taking responsibility

But there was no “’golden age’ in which humanitarian space was always protected,” ODI’s Elhawary told IRIN. Aid agencies were manipulated by Biafran secessionists in the Nigerian civil war and the International Committee of the Red Cross was attacked in Ethiopia as early as 1935-36.

And ODI says responsibility for securing humanitarian space lies partly with aid agencies themselves.

It is not right to blame reduced access to beneficiaries solely on the coherence agenda, according to Ross Mountain, deputy SRSG and humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Warfare trends have a more significant role in access than do coherence policies, he said, pointing out that in parts of DRC aid agencies have recently had a tougher time reaching some vulnerable populations mainly because of an upsurge in conflict with militia groups targeting civilians. [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84943]

Some agencies have adjusted to those realities by reducing their visibility on the ground, working through local NGOs, or improving their risk assessment and analysis capacity and sharing information; but sector-wide progress has been slow.

Further, many agencies still do not anticipate potential consequences of decisions taken in complex environments such as Afghanistan, where “there is no humanitarian consensus and very little humanitarian space,” according to Antonio Donini in a Feinstein Center report. [http://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/FIC/Afghanistan+--+Humanitarianism+under+Threat]

For Howard Mollett, conflict advisor at the NGO CARE International, in settings like Afghanistan agencies must work harder to manage the tensions among competing imperatives.

“Most agencies involved in humanitarian response are multi-mandate,” he said. “And that partly reflects the messy field realities in which we work. In one country acute humanitarian needs, chronic poverty and opportunities to promote recovery typically coexist.”

Shift

Experts say the aid community appears to recognize a shift in approach is needed to ensure humanitarian space does not disappear.

The UN has adjusted the aid element of some integrated missions, Mollett said. In Afghanistan, where humanitarian expertise within the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMA) had been reduced to a few people, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was re-established in 2009; while in Somalia the UN has called for extensive consultation with humanitarians before developing any integrated mission plan.

Mountain said in DRC different actors are tackling the complexity of working within an integrated mission with more mutual respect, helped by a clear civilian protection mandate. “It is not the military doing humanitarian action… rather military and political become strong allies in promoting humanitarian objectives by providing physical protection.”

The coherence approach appears to be here to stay; but some 35 major donors have signed up to the good humanitarian donorship principles [http://www.goodhumanitariandonorship.org/donor-governments.asp], which stress the need to promote humanitarian space.

A December 2009 UN meeting of OCHA, the Department for Peacekeeping Operations, Department of Political Affairs and IASC will provide an opportunity for the concerned actors to air their views.

This is a sign of a progress, said Mollett.

"For too long the erosion of humanitarian space was put in the 'too difficult' box, but the severity of the situation in countries like Somalia and Afghanistan has brought us to a decisive moment…Perhaps the time has come to recognize the limitations of 'integrated approaches' and set some red lines in policy and practice."

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85752GAZA Tuesday, August 11, 2009 (IRIN) - Nearly seven months after Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing some 600,000MT of rubble containing asbestos and other hazardous material.GAZA Tuesday, August 11, 2009 (IRIN) - Nearly seven months after Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing some 600,000MT of rubble containing asbestos and other hazardous material [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84177].

Israel’s 23-day operation destroyed 4,000 housing units and damaged 40,000 homes [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30948&Cr=palestin&Cr1=]. UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza said rubble was being removed from 2,533 private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings.

“UNDP rubble removal teams were trained how to safely remove, store and crush hazardous material, primarily asbestos,” said El-Kharouby, adding that UNDP had provided contractors with safety equipment.

Teams also met residents, some living in tented communities near their destroyed homes, to explain the removal process and warning that hazardous material might be uncovered. In many cases residents are evacuated before removal teams go in.

The UN Mine Action Team is also working to remove unexploded ordnance in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85633].

Asbestos threat

According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), about 10 percent of the rubble in Rafah and Khan Younis is asbestos material, as well as a small amount in the Zeitoun area of Gaza City. UNEP conducted an assessment of Gaza in May and is expected to release its results in August. [http://www.unep.org/environmentalgovernance/News/PressRelease/tabid/427/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentID=579&ArticleID=6132&Lang=en]

About 68 percent of Gaza’s 1.5 million residents are refugees, living in eight major camps. [http://www.undp.ps/en/newsroom/publications/pdf/other/fastfactgazaen092.pdf] Most refugee camp homes are built from concrete and asbestos.

“Asbestos releases particles into the air and chronic lung conditions in the respiratory tract may result,” World Health Organization (WHO) officer Mahmoud Daher in Gaza told IRIN.

In addition to private homes, hundreds of public buildings and roads were damaged or destroyed during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including 700 factories.

“[Destroyed] factories that were using lead or other heavy metals, like battery factories, could present a health hazard to the population,” said Daher.

Some factory or home owners have denied access to rubble removal teams to what is left of their properties because they said they had not received compensation from the Gaza authorities or UN.

The UNDP rubble removal project will continue until January.

If adequate funding is available, the 380,000MT of remaining rubble from former Israeli settlements that was collected but never crushed will be removed as part of the project. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in September 2005.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85668DUBAI Monday, August 10, 2009 (IRIN) - Saudi Arabia has the highest number of laboratory confirmed pandemic H1N1 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region – 595 – with four out of the eight deaths so far, according to an 8 August World Health Organization (WHO) report.DUBAI Monday, August 10, 2009 (IRIN) - Saudi Arabia has the highest number of laboratory confirmed pandemic H1N1 cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region – 595 – with four out of the eight deaths so far, according to an 8 August World Health Organization (WHO) report.

Kuwait comes second with 560 cases, although no deaths, and Egypt third with 314 cases and one death. Lebanon, Qatar and Iraq have each had one fatality.

While Israel’s Ministry of Health reported its fifth H1N1 death on 7 August and more than 2,000 cases of the virus, the country falls under WHO’s Europe region.

With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan set to begin in about two weeks, and the annual Hajj due in late November, Arab health ministers are not allowing the elderly, children or chronically sick to make pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.

At a press conference on 5 August, Saudi Health Minister Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said only those between the ages of 12 and 65 with proof of a flu vaccination and no chronic disease would be granted Hajj visas. Pregnant women and people with diabetes, obesity and hypertension would also be barred from Mecca, he said.

"These conditions have been approved after consultations with top international experts in the field," Khaled Al-Mirghalani, the Health Ministry's spokesman, said at a press conference. "No one will be able to get a visa without fulfilling these new rules."

Iran Air is reported on 10 August to have suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, following an earlier Iranian government ban on all citizens from visiting Saudi Arabia during 30 days of Ramadan, beginning around 22 August. Iran had 144 reported cases of H1N1 on 8 August, according to WHO, mostly pilgrims who had visited Saudi Arabia.

Going global

As of 31 July, 168 countries and overseas territories/communities had reported at least one laboratory confirmed case of H1N1.

By the same date, WHO recorded a global total of 162,380 cases and 1,154 deaths. WHO specialists say the actual number of infections and deaths is likely to be much higher as many countries do not have the appropriate facilities or medical skills to diagnose the virus properly.

WHO segments the world into six regions: Africa, the least affected region, had 0.14 percent of the global total of H1N1 cases; the Eastern Mediterranean Region 0.8 percent; Southeast Asia 6.1 percent; Europe 16.1 percent; the Western Pacific 16.4 percent and the Americas 60 percent.

ed/at/mwhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85653GAZA CITY Monday, August 10, 2009 (IRIN) - The Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border opened for five days this month, the longest continued period since Hamas seized power in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip in June 2007. GAZA CITY Monday, August 10, 2009 (IRIN) - The Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border opened for five days this month, the longest continued period since Hamas seized power in the Palestinian-controlled Gaza Strip in June 2007.

From 3-8 August, Egyptian border authorities allowed 4,317 passengers to leave Gaza and turned back 763, Ghazi Hamad, head of Gaza’s borders and crossings authority, told IRIN. In addition, 3,311 passengers were permitted entry to Gaza from Egypt.

In June, Rafah opened for three days, when 1,865 passengers were allowed through and 610 turned back [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85098].

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, 484 passengers exited and 898 entered Gaza via Rafah during July, with special permission from Egyptian authorities.

Passengers included about 500 Gaza patients needing emergency care, students and foreign visa holders. More than 7,000 Palestinians in Gaza were registered with the authorities to travel, Hamad said.

After meetings with Egyptian intelligence in July, “there is an understanding that Rafah will open about once per month”, said Hamad.

“Egyptian officials agreed to facilitate the movement of buses across the border, to increase the number of passengers allowed to leave and to decrease the number turned back,” Hamad added.

Buses carrying the infirm and children usually wait for hours at the Egyptian gate before crossing.

“We are being humiliated on the Egyptian side of the border; they pack us in buses like sardines while medical patients die waiting for permission to cross,” said Sauson (declining to give her last name), 34, a passenger returning to Gaza after visiting family in the UAE.

“The passage of people into and out of Gaza remains strictly limited – only those classified as medical or humanitarian cases can cross via Rafah with special authorization by the Palestinian authorities in Gaza and Egyptian authorities,” according to Hamada Al-Bayari from OCHA in Gaza. “Rafah has been officially closed since June 2007.”

Hamad said the Hamas administration was adhering to the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) in operating the Rafah crossing.
[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6J6R27?OpenDocument]

“In the first six months of 2006, between the signing of the AMA and the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Rafah crossing was open daily for an average of 9.5 hours per day and an average of 650 passengers were permitted to cross each way [a total of 1,300],” Al-Bayari said.

es/at/mwhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85654GAZA CITY Sunday, August 09, 2009 (IRIN) - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing 600,000MT of rubble and debris left over from Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. More than six months later, the most deadly threat to civilians emanates from unexploded ordnance (UXO) in rubble and underground. GAZA CITY Sunday, August 09, 2009 (IRIN) - The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has begun removing 600,000MT of rubble and debris left over from Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

More than six months later, the most deadly threat to civilians emanates from unexploded ordnance (UXO) in rubble and underground. Falling rubble and hazardous material, including UXO, have killed 17 and injured at least 25 Palestinians, mostly children, since the operation ended on 18 January, according to UNDP in Gaza.

At least 31 munitions containing white phosphorus have been found. Israel's use of white phosphorus in Gaza was initially denied but was recently acknowledged in an official report but with the claim that it was used only in a manner consistent with relevant international law.

Kerei Ruru, head of the UN Mine Action Team Gaza Office (UNMAT-GO), has been working in Gaza since the end of January to locate and neutralize the UXO.

“Some 4,000 housing units were completely destroyed in the bombardment and UXO risks assessments are conducted on each of the sites,” said Ruru.

Most surface contamination was removed by the Gaza authorities, according to UNMAT.

UNMAT is now working to remove UXO buried in thousands of destroyed buildings and in 12,000ha of agricultural land. Ruru’s teams are still awaiting permission to access the border areas in the north and east, also a major threat.

Ruru leads five teams operating on the ground in Gaza from British-based NGO Mines Advisory Group (MAG), the implementing partner.

MAG teams located 120 pieces of UXO and 31 unexploded white phosphorous shells in Gaza as of 23 July, said Ruru. As of early June, 28 percent of items discovered contained white phosphorous and 72 percent contained high explosives, according to UNMAT.

After the end of the Israeli operation, UNMAT opened all arterial roads in Gaza, permitting access for humanitarian relief; cleared UXO from 38 UN Children's Fund and government supported schools and four UN Relief and Works Agency schools, industrial and residential areas, and other high-priority buildings, including hospitals and UN facilities.

MAG director Mark Russell has uncovered seven anti-tank mines at one site alone in the Abu Eida area in Jabalyah, where the UNDP will clear rubble.

“Anti-tank mines are used as demolition charges, placed at the base of a structure to level the building, producing a layered effect” said Russell.

Spotting UXO

“The best detection of UXO is done by examining fragmentation from ordnance, entry holes, assessing how much damage the building sustained and eyewitness accounts,” said Ruru.

UNMAT also trained UNDP and CHF International NGO rubble removal teams in UXO safety awareness before undertaking rubble removal activities.

The UNDP has found 2,533 sites, all private homes, in addition to 23 public buildings, according to UNDP officer Amran el-Kharouby in Gaza.

The rubble removal project is an essential step to recovery and restoration of services for residents, and aims to safeguard public health and environment and create job opportunities for more than 200,000 Gazans.

UNMAT conducts a risk assessment at each rubble removal site. If the risk is determined to be low, rubble removal continues. If medium, trained members of the rubble removal teams observe potential threats and an UNMAT team remains on call in the area. If the risk is high, UNMAT maintains an UXO team on site daily.

In addition to private homes, hundreds of other targets, including 700 private factories and more than 100 public buildings, were damaged or destroyed during the operation, said El-Kharouby.

es/at/mwhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85633TEL AVIV Monday, August 03, 2009 (IRIN) - Israel will allow a limited amount of cement and iron into Gaza for the first time since operation Cast Lead ended in January 2009, according to Israeli officials.TEL AVIV Monday, August 03, 2009 (IRIN) - Israel will allow a limited amount of cement and iron into Gaza for the first time since operation Cast Lead ended in January 2009, according to Israeli officials.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak have authorized the transfer of 90MT of cement and 60MT of iron and machinery into the Gaza strip to reconstruct the flour mill and other projects vital to the daily lives of Gazans.

Israel's Knesset (parliament) also authorized the transfer of steel pipes for the reconstruction of Gaza’s Khan Younis sewage plant.

Colonel Nir Faress, head of the Erez District Coordination Office (DCO), published an update to the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel on 29 July, according to which several items are now allowed into Gaza again, including clothing and shoes, cement, beverages, baked goods and sweets.

The update comes after seven months during which only food, certain hygiene products, medicine and medical supplies were allowed into Gaza.

An official in the Israeli Defense Force, who did not want to be identified, told IRIN: “This is a 'humanitarian gesture'. The cement and steel are destined for UN-supervised projects; the sweets and candy are a gesture towards the holy month of Ramadan due to begin on 20 August.”

Some 50,000MT of cement are needed to rebuild completely destroyed houses, according to the UN Development Programme in Gaza [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84662].

According to The Gaza Blockade: Children and Education Fact Sheet, [http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/un_ngo_fact_sheet_blockade_figures_2009_07_28_english.pdf] issued by the UN and the Association of International Development Agencies, the main coordination forum for international NGOs operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), on 28 July, iron bars and cement are needed to build 105 new schools in Gaza to cater for the yearly increase in student population. During Israel’s military offensive, at least 280 schools and kindergartens were damaged or severely damaged, including 18 schools which were destroyed, the report states.

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http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85549GAZA CITY Sunday, August 02, 2009 (IRIN) - Less than 50m from a black, barrel-sized pipe pouring raw sewage directly into the sea, children are playing in the waves. GAZA CITY Sunday, August 02, 2009 (IRIN) - Less than 50m from a black, barrel-sized pipe pouring raw sewage directly into the sea, children are playing in the waves.

The pipe runs from one of three main sewage pumping stations in Gaza, with multiple outlets into the sea. The water authority in the Gaza Strip has been unable to import the parts necessary for the maintenance and repairs at water and sewage pumping stations since Israel imposed its two-year long blockade of the territory, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza.

“We know there is sewage in the water, but the borders are closed and we can’t travel,” said Mariam Al-Halu, who brought her two sons to swim. With scorching temperatures and intermittent electricity, many Gazans seek refuge from the heat in the polluted waters, residents say.

According to a July 2009 report (not available online) on the quality of Gaza’s seawater by the World Health Organization (WHO), seawater samples collected monthly from April to June by the public health laboratory in Gaza were polluted with faecal bacteria, specifically coliforms and streptococcus .

Seventy-one seawater samples collected from 25 points on Gaza beach showed that seven points were polluted, according to the WHO report.

WHO warns that a safe distance to swim from the sewage discharge is a least 2,000m. By swimming just 50m away from a sewage discharge point, the al-Halu brothers were exposing themselves to serious risks.

These range from minor intestinal and infectious diseases to more severe and potentially life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis and meningitis, although the risk of a cholera outbreak is minimal, WHO said.

WHO and the Gaza health authorities launched a public awareness campaign in May at the start of the summer season, warning swimmers and fishermen of the raw sewage discharges and the potential dangers [http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84719].

However, many beachgoers and fishermen have not taken heed of the potential hazards, despite the signs placed in seven areas along the Gaza Strip’s 42km-long coastline.

About 80,000 cubic metres of raw and partially treated sewage is being discharged directly into the sea each day. The rundown sewage network badly needs repairs but the materials are lacking, according to an April 2009 report by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) cluster, a group of UN agencies and international organizations responding to Gaza’s water and sanitation crisis.
Clinics and hospitals in Gaza report cases of eye and skin infections and stomach viruses among beachgoers, yet health bodies in Gaza say there are no clear indicators to connect the health issues to faecal contamination.

“The sewage has increased the amount of algae in the seawater and on the beaches, particularly near the sewage outlets,” said engineer Bahha Alagha from the Environmental Quality Authority (EQA) in Gaza.

“The fish eat the algae and are then sold on the local market,” Alagha said.

According to a special report on the marine environment in the Gaza Strip by Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights [http://www.ochaopt.org/cluster/admin/output/files/ocha_opt_wash_cluster_specialreport_3_alDameer_June2009-20090715-160238.pdf], consuming seafood fished in areas with considerable quantities of raw sewage water poses a serious threat to human health, because marine environment contaminants can be transferred through the marine food chain.

A committee to protect the beaches, including the EQA, health and interior ministries, and the water authority in Gaza, has been established to address these issues.

es/at/mwhttp://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=85542