Winter coming The UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon yesterday called on Israel to “allow unimpeded access to Gaza for humanitarian aid and the non-humanitarian goods needed for the reconstruction of properties and infrastructure.” There is growing concern for the wellbeing of thousands of Gazans left homeless by Operation Cast Lead as winter approaches. More than 20,000 Palestinian houses, schools and hospitals were destroyed and construction materials are urgently needed to rebuild and repair houses before the cold weather and rain storms set in. After touring a town in northern Gaza Maxwell Gaylard, UN Humanitarian Affairs coordinator in the Palestinian territories, told a news conference that "Gaza people need cements, bricks and glass to fix their homes in addition to their needs of fuel, water and electricity (…) The winter is coming, and there are hundreds of homeless people who need their homes to be built as soon as possible…" He commented that hundreds of devastated families were left living in fear and shock following the Israeli military operation and that, "many of them are still living in tents near the rubble of the destroyed homes and they rely on the daily humanitarian aid they receive from the United Nations.” Gas crisis reaches hospitals Over the last month Gaza has suffered from erratic gas supply, a crisis which according to Ma’an news has now hit Gazan hospitals. Israel has promised to pump large quantities of gas into Gaza today. Last month the Israelis transferred the importing of gas into Gaza from the pipelines at the Nahal Oz crossing to Kerem Shalom. It was a move that left Israeli specialists puzzled as they claim the infrastructure at Kerem Shalom can’t meet the Gaza supply demands where as the infrastructure at Nahal Oz did. Specialists in Gaza say that the area needs a minimum of 500 tons of gas per day; the Israeli Authorities put the figure at 400. Convoy arrives after month’s delay The European aid convoy ‘Miles of Smiles’ was finally able to deliver vital medical supplies to Gaza this weekend after spending 25 days held outside the Egyptian crossing. The envoy was made up of 60 people from ten European nations who brought 100 trucks loaded with medical aid including wheelchairs and ambulances. Ahmad Al-Kurd, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in the de facto government, told a news conference that as well as bringing critical supplies the convoy carried an important moral message, demanding that Israel “stop besieging one and a half million Palestinians," and reminding them that the world is watching.
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