Gaza: Children Unsafe Even in U.N. Classrooms, a report by Yousef Alhelou
Two Children Shot Inside UNRWA School Saturday
On Saturday 18 November 2006, two schoolchildren were shot and wounded inside UNRWA's Beit Lahia Elementary School in the northern Gaza Strip, the UN agency responsible for Palestine refugees reported.
At 15:10 hrs, while sitting at his desk in a first grade classroom, UNRWA says that seven-year-old Ahmed Issam Abdel-Aziz was struck by a bullet in the head. The bullet, which first bounced off a window ledge, penetrated 3-5 millimetres into Ahmed' skull.
Five minutes later, Rewa Khalid Al-Mabhouh, 12, was shot in the leg soon after entering the school to pick up her younger brother, while evacuation of the school was underway.
Both bullets entered the school from the north and, according to the UNRWA report, Israeli tanks were seen stationed on a hill 1.5 kilometres north of the school.
Ahmed was taken to Adwa Hospital for removal of the bullet and then to Gaza Eye Hospital for a check on his eyesight which will require monitoring. Rewa's left calf bone was fractured, and medical staff were working on Saturday evening to remove the bullet.
Condemning the shootings, UNRWA's Gaza Field Director, John Ging, described it as "yet another tragic incident in what has become a bewildering cycle of violence."
Referring to the UN General Assembly resolution, Ging stressed how this newest tragedy underscores the need for an international mechanism to protect civilian populations. "At present, children are not safe even in United Nations classrooms. We urgently need a solution."
Yousef Alhelou: More Than 1 Million Palestinians Live in Poverty
One million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are living in poverty, according to a study released by the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) on 22 November.
The new study, entitled “Recent socio-economic impact of prolonged crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory”, which was produced in association with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, focuses on the socio-economic consequences of the post-election boycott of the Palestinian Authority.
The press release states: "UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General, Filippo Grandi, introducing the report, commented: “What this report tells us is alarming; more than one million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank now live in deep poverty. This is a steep increase; 64% over the same time last year. In Gaza, where the vast majority of the population are refugees, the situation is much worse. Every aspect of life – from job security to putting food on the table – has been severely and negatively impacted.”
The data collected in the study covers three main areas: national income, the labor market and household living levels and poverty.
Key findings:
• Loss of income led to an average 12% reduction in per capita consumption, and a 64% increase in Palestinians living in deep poverty.
• The PA boycott, which cannot be accurately measured through GDP or employment rates but only through household consumption and income, resulted in an estimated $500 million
decline.
• The PA fiscal crisis had disproportionately negative consequences for refugees, 32% of whom are employed by the public sector, in contrast to 20% among non refugees.
• It is estimated that, above the level of external assistance received in 2005, an additional $73.1 million of well targeted aid would have been necessary to eliminate deep poverty amongst refugees in 2005.
• The Palestinian public sector (accounting for 70% of new jobs) expanded during 2005 and the first half of 2006, while the private sector, especially manufacturing, experienced sharp declines."
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
PLEASE SEE:
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
http://www.un.org/unrwa
PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF PALESTINE QUESTION, UN SPECIAL INFORMATION PROGRAMME AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED AS PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE APPROVES FOUR TEXTS
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/gapal1020.doc.htm
Gaza: U.N. General Assembly Votes For Peace
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=2833&blz=1
Two Children Shot Inside UNRWA School Saturday
On Saturday 18 November 2006, two schoolchildren were shot and wounded inside UNRWA's Beit Lahia Elementary School in the northern Gaza Strip, the UN agency responsible for Palestine refugees reported.
At 15:10 hrs, while sitting at his desk in a first grade classroom, UNRWA says that seven-year-old Ahmed Issam Abdel-Aziz was struck by a bullet in the head. The bullet, which first bounced off a window ledge, penetrated 3-5 millimetres into Ahmed' skull.
Five minutes later, Rewa Khalid Al-Mabhouh, 12, was shot in the leg soon after entering the school to pick up her younger brother, while evacuation of the school was underway.
Both bullets entered the school from the north and, according to the UNRWA report, Israeli tanks were seen stationed on a hill 1.5 kilometres north of the school.
Ahmed was taken to Adwa Hospital for removal of the bullet and then to Gaza Eye Hospital for a check on his eyesight which will require monitoring. Rewa's left calf bone was fractured, and medical staff were working on Saturday evening to remove the bullet.
Condemning the shootings, UNRWA's Gaza Field Director, John Ging, described it as "yet another tragic incident in what has become a bewildering cycle of violence."
Referring to the UN General Assembly resolution, Ging stressed how this newest tragedy underscores the need for an international mechanism to protect civilian populations. "At present, children are not safe even in United Nations classrooms. We urgently need a solution."
Yousef Alhelou: More Than 1 Million Palestinians Live in Poverty
One million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are living in poverty, according to a study released by the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) on 22 November.
The new study, entitled “Recent socio-economic impact of prolonged crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory”, which was produced in association with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, focuses on the socio-economic consequences of the post-election boycott of the Palestinian Authority.
The press release states: "UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General, Filippo Grandi, introducing the report, commented: “What this report tells us is alarming; more than one million Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank now live in deep poverty. This is a steep increase; 64% over the same time last year. In Gaza, where the vast majority of the population are refugees, the situation is much worse. Every aspect of life – from job security to putting food on the table – has been severely and negatively impacted.”
The data collected in the study covers three main areas: national income, the labor market and household living levels and poverty.
Key findings:
• Loss of income led to an average 12% reduction in per capita consumption, and a 64% increase in Palestinians living in deep poverty.
• The PA boycott, which cannot be accurately measured through GDP or employment rates but only through household consumption and income, resulted in an estimated $500 million
decline.
• The PA fiscal crisis had disproportionately negative consequences for refugees, 32% of whom are employed by the public sector, in contrast to 20% among non refugees.
• It is estimated that, above the level of external assistance received in 2005, an additional $73.1 million of well targeted aid would have been necessary to eliminate deep poverty amongst refugees in 2005.
• The Palestinian public sector (accounting for 70% of new jobs) expanded during 2005 and the first half of 2006, while the private sector, especially manufacturing, experienced sharp declines."
Yousef Alhelou is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Gaza. He can be contacted on ydamadan@hotmail.com
PLEASE SEE:
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
http://www.un.org/unrwa
PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF PALESTINE QUESTION, UN SPECIAL INFORMATION PROGRAMME AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED AS PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE APPROVES FOUR TEXTS
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/gapal1020.doc.htm
Gaza: U.N. General Assembly Votes For Peace
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=2833&blz=1