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Last update - 15:06 21/11/2008
UNRWA chief: Gaza on brink of humanitarian catastrophe
By Reuters
Tags: UNRWA, Israel News 

Gaza faces a humanitarian "catastrophe" if Israel continues to prevent aid reaching the territory by blocking crossing points, the head of the main UN aid agency for the Palestinians said on Friday.

Karen AbuZayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said the human toll of this month's sealing of Gaza's goods crossings was the gravest since the early days of a Palestinian uprising eight years ago.

"It's been closed for so much longer than ever before... and we have nothing in our warehouses... It will be a catastrophe if this persists, a disaster," said AbuZayd, whose agency is the largest aid body providing services to Palestinian refugees.
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Israel closed the crossings after Palestinian militants responded with daily rocket salvoes to an Israeli army incursion on Nov. 4 into the Hamas-run territory, where a five-month-old, Egyptian-brokered ceasefire had largely been holding.

At present, UNRWA provides rations for 820,000 people classed as refugees and the United Nations' World Food Program aids a further 200,000 people, AbuZayd told Reuters in Amman.

"They often bring us to the brink but they never have let us really be frightened about whether we are going to have food tomorrow or not," AbuZayd said.

Israel had restricted goods into Gaza despite the truce, which calls on militants to halt rocket attacks in return for Israel easing its embargo on the territory.

"This time throughout this whole truce since June none of us have been able to bring in anything extra that would create a reserve so we had nothing to call upon," she said.

She said people were sweeping warehouses because there is now nothing in them.

Israel also held up deliveries of European Union-funded fuel for the power plant, which generates about a third of the electricity consumed by Gazans. The rest comes from Israel, which was continuing supply, and Egypt.

UNRWA's food basket, which comprised nearly 60 percent of daily needs, including milk powder and sugar, had run out, AbuZayd said. Most of the flour in mills would be consumed by end of the month.

Ailments associated with insufficient food were surfacing among the impoverished coastal strip's 1.5 million population, including growing malnutrition.

"There is a chronic anemia problem. There are signs that's increasing. What we are beginning to notice is what we call stunting of children ... which means they are not eating well enough to be bigger than their parents," AbuZayd added.

The humanitarian plight of Gazans was by far the worst among the more than 4.6 million Palestinian refugees across the region.

"They are not just under occupation, they are under siege," AbuZayd said.

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      1.   She was content with drawing her huge salary instead of urging Eg 16:21  |  Absolute Sweden 21/11/08
      2.   Stop rocketing Askelon&digging Kidnap Tunnels and Aid will flow 16:24  |  Alan SA 21/11/08
      3.   My Cousin Fatima (a.k.a. Karen)... 16:28  |  Abdullah AbuZayd 21/11/08
      4.   Let Amalak Eat Cake 16:31  |  Ronald 21/11/08
      5.   Uh huh 16:35  |  Gili 21/11/08
      6.   WOW: That sounded like another qassam fired 16:36  |  Arie 21/11/08
      7.   Gaza on brink of SELF INFLICTED humanitarian catastrophe 16:41  |  Jordan 21/11/08
      8.   They are not under occupation lady.....liar... 16:45  |  James 21/11/08
      9.   Where is the money Arafat sent to his wife? 16:47  |  Israeli Citizen 21/11/08
      10.   Israel provides fuel for the very rockets used to kill their kids 16:49  |  Tommy K 21/11/08
      11.   catastrophe 16:50  |  Shmuelshachor 21/11/08
      12.   They bring it upon themselves. 16:50  |  Akram Zekaria 21/11/08
      13.   The European Union 16:57  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      14.   Let hamas feed it`s own people 17:01  |  Joey 21/11/08
      15.   How many times... 17:16  |  GSW 21/11/08
      16.   "we have nothing in our warehouses"...except Qassam missiles 17:16  |  Dan 21/11/08
      17.   Why don`t they stop shooting rockets? 17:18  |  lady from USA 21/11/08
      18.   Trust the word of AbuZayd vs Israel? 17:18  |  Richard S 21/11/08
      19.   It`s a racket 17:21  |  lady from USA 21/11/08
      20.   There`s A Simple Solution 17:21  |  Bill Foonman 21/11/08
      21.   "palestinian" hardships self inflicted, with help from arabs 17:36  |  Jordan 21/11/08
      22.   #2 Israeli Citizen 17:41  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      23.   Bill that is not very helpful 17:46  |  Dave Duncan 21/11/08
      24.   The `Jewish` solution 17:46  |  Mikesailor 21/11/08
      25.   All the Zionist posters here... 17:55  |  Silvienne 21/11/08
      26.   #13, Dan...you think it is simple? 17:56  |  Silvienne 21/11/08
      27.   Our regulars are too busy defending settlers in Hebron... 17:57  |  K 21/11/08
      28.   #6, James, you are referring to Israel... 17:59  |  Silvienne 21/11/08
      29.   noted indifference to pain of others and compleate 17:59  |  lack of humanity 21/11/08
      30.   Humanitarian disasters 17:59  |  Angel 21/11/08
      31.   #17 Bill Foonman 18:08  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      32.   To Chris Linwaithe in Islam occupied UK 18:09  |  Arie 21/11/08
      33.   British journalists. 18:16  |  Jean Van Daem 21/11/08
      34.   If they start to buy food instead of rockets 18:21  |  Daniel 21/11/08
      35.   Linthwaite 18:22  |  Steve 21/11/08
      36.   Linthwaite 18:23  |  Daniel 21/11/08
      37.   #23 18:26  |  Jasper 21/11/08
      38.   #13 Chris: Europeans conducted the Holocaust. It never ended. 18:26  |  Bennie 21/11/08
      39.   No food in Gazan warehouses? Nutritional iron deficiency? 18:26  |  common sense 21/11/08
      40.   Best News I`ve heard all year 18:28  |  Marcel 21/11/08
      41.   24lackofhumanity. Where`s your humanity for shelling of- 18:35  |  the chosen 21/11/08
      42.   The UN should file charges against Israel 18:38  |  dutch 21/11/08
      43.   Gazas troubles are completly self inflicted 18:41  |  Johnny 21/11/08
      44.   Instead of playing solders, do some farming. 18:44  |  ottomatik 21/11/08
      45.   Actually I prefer when y`all don`t write your sick responses... 18:48  |  K 21/11/08
      46.   28 Israel was born out of sin and it will die because of it 18:48  |  Dutch 21/11/08
      47.   Seige 18:49  |  Carter 21/11/08
      48.   `the chosen"? starving childrden is not equal to 18:54  |  `squatters in shock` 21/11/08
      49.   #33 Steve 18:54  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      50.   #36 Bennie 19:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      51.   24mikesailor, genius. Gaza=Waraw Ghetto? Huh? 19:14  |  you for real? 21/11/08
      52.   Boycott 19:17  |  Alberto 21/11/08
      53.   #40, Marcel referring to Palestinians as "rats"... 19:18  |  Silvienne 21/11/08
      54.   43 19:18  |  Elmer Lammi 21/11/08
      55.   Well said, K! 19:20  |  Silvienne 21/11/08
      56.   48`squatterinshock`-Upset Arabs can`t kill us Jews with impunity? 19:20  |  the chosen 21/11/08
      57.   Bogus report 19:21  |  MichaelF 21/11/08
      58.   To Mike sailor #24..The difference is Gaza is a seperate enemy 19:21  |  Jimmy 21/11/08
      59.   But her job is only to focus on Palestine! 19:21  |  Polybios 21/11/08
      60.   Get a job "palestinians" like everyone else in the world... 19:22  |  Jordan 21/11/08
      61.   To "Squatters in Shock" 19:24  |  Angel 21/11/08
      62.   33, 49 19:25  |  Jasper 21/11/08
      63.   Re: Siege 19:26  |  Angel 21/11/08
      64.   Tired refrain 19:29  |  Gee 21/11/08
      65.   Why was the truce broken? 19:31  |  Palestinian Brit 21/11/08
      66.   AbuZayd? 19:34  |  4:20 21/11/08
      67.   The current Israeli policy 19:35  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      68.   Daniel and collective punishment... 19:40  |  Palestinian Brit 21/11/08
      69.   #53 Elmer Lammi 19:40  |  Chris Linthwaite 21/11/08
      70.   Jordan in Miami 19:42  |  Palestinian Brit 21/11/08
      71.