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Situation Report: Gaza Crisis January 23, 2008 Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, of which the WCC is a founding member, has been responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) through its members for many years. ACT last year, in July, again issued an appeal to respond to the Gaza crisis. The appeal set out to support people in Gaza, as well as the West Bank. Dr. Bernard Sabella, the executive secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches’ Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees writes that political talks between Palestinians and Israel over the Gaza Strip situation has become an urgent reality and is demanded by all Palestinians. “What steps need to be taken to return Gaza to some sort of ‘normalcy’ depend on the wisdom of leading people in the Palestinian Territories and policy makers in Israel,” Dr. Sabella says, explaining that “without communicating the urgency and stressing the need to relieve Gaza of its present conditions, nothing will transpire.” Dr. Sabella also says that there is need for a political situation in which rockets from Gaza should stop hitting towns in southern Israel, but imposing a siege on Gaza and punishing 1.5 million inhabitants will not help in stopping the launching of rockets. He encourages Palestinians to unite in seeking a political solution. Mr. Constantine Dabbagh, the executive director of the Near East Council of Churches based in Gaza, reports that bakeries that used to distribute bread regularly and fairly easily are now unable to do so because of fuel shortages, with long queues of people hoping to get their daily staple. The three primary health clinics of the Gaza Strip have adequate medical supplies for the moment. However, with electricity shortages, the much-needed refrigerators used in the clinics are in jeopardy. This applies to hospitals and other health facilities across Gaza. As with much of the area, the NECC offices in Gaza City is without electricity, with only a limited supply of fuel for a generator to see the staff through the next five days. Many staff however cannot get to work and have difficulty in finding transportation. This is also true for the majority of the people of Gaza. Another implication of the power shortages is the fact that people living in high rise building are without elevator services, which is especially of concern to the elderly and sick residents, as well as pregnant women living on the higher floors. Mr. Dabbagh also reports that he had called for a special emergency meeting with the Gaza Area Committee (Board) in order to decide which services could be stopped if the emergency situation continues. The executive secretary of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre, Mr. Yusef Daher appealed to the international community and to Israel to end the siege of Gaza, citing the one and a half million people under siege without proper food or medicine. The JIC also called on the Palestinian leadership to unite, and end their differences for the sake of their people in Gaza. (ends) Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
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