Close X
Thursday, December 12, 2024
ADVT 
International

Gaza blockade must end to enable its reconstruction

Darpan News Desk IANS, 10 Aug, 2014 07:36 AM
    A seven-year blockade on the Gaza Strip must end to enable reconstruction and a political solution must be found to resolve the conflict, a UN official said Saturday.
     
    "Huge swathes of Gaza have been levelled. We cannot rebuild it with our hands tied behind our backs", Mena news agency quoted the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) spokesman Chris Gunness as saying. 
     
    "The blockade must end. We are beyond the realm of humanitarian action alone. All those directly and indirectly responsible for the carnage and destruction must engage", Gunness added.
     
    At least 65,000 people have seen their homes destroyed in a month of fighting between Israel and Hamas and a "man-made homelessness crisis on an epic scale is unfolding", Gunness warned.
     
    "This is an urgent priority. Without it people simply cannot go home. Rubble removal is also an important aspect of this for which we are planning to use local workers to boost the local economy", he said.
     
    Gunness claimed that "Israel has legitimate security concerns, but that collective punishment of the 1.8 million Palestinians packed into Gaza had been ineffective".
     
    "It is time for Israel to enable, not disable. It is time for the world to recognise the blindingly obvious -- that the Gaza conflict requires a political solution", he explained. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Gaza militants renew rocket fire after 3-day truce expires and Israel-Hamas talks hit deadlock

    Gaza militants renew rocket fire after 3-day truce expires and Israel-Hamas talks hit deadlock
    JERUSALEM - Gaza militants renewed rocket fire on Israel after a three-day truce expired on Friday and negotiations in Cairo on a new border deal for the coastal strip hit a deadlock.

    Gaza militants renew rocket fire after 3-day truce expires and Israel-Hamas talks hit deadlock

    Islamic State militants seize Iraq's largest dam near Mosul, Kurdish troops withdraw

    Islamic State militants seize Iraq's largest dam near Mosul, Kurdish troops withdraw
      Sunni militants from the Islamic State group on Thursday seized Iraq's largest dam, placing them in control of enormous power and water resources and access to the river that runs through the heart of Baghdad.

    Islamic State militants seize Iraq's largest dam near Mosul, Kurdish troops withdraw

    Hamas tells Gaza rally war is not over until its demands are met, rockets trained at Tel Aviv

    Hamas tells Gaza rally war is not over until its demands are met, rockets trained at Tel Aviv
    Hamas held on Thursday its first public rally since a cease-fire with Israel, with an official vowing the militant group would never give up its arms and will continue to fight until the Gaza Strip blockade is lifted.

    Hamas tells Gaza rally war is not over until its demands are met, rockets trained at Tel Aviv

    The ultimate comeback: 40 years after resigning, Nixon lives! (At least on Twitter)

    The ultimate comeback: 40 years after resigning, Nixon lives! (At least on Twitter)
    If you believe the media reports, Richard Nixon suffered a stroke in 1994 and died days later at age 81. He is buried in his native Yorba Linda, California, silent as the country marks the 40th anniversary of his resignation.

    The ultimate comeback: 40 years after resigning, Nixon lives! (At least on Twitter)

    Islamic State onslaught makes Christians flee, Pope concerned

    Islamic State onslaught makes Christians flee, Pope concerned
    Thousands of Christian families Thursday fled their homes in northern Iraq after militants of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni insurgent group seized several...

    Islamic State onslaught makes Christians flee, Pope concerned

    Russia grants Edward Snowden extended asylum

    Russia grants Edward Snowden extended asylum
    Fugitive US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden has been given residence permit for three years in Russia, his lawyer said Thursday....

    Russia grants Edward Snowden extended asylum