Ging: tens of thousands of Gaza inhabitants without shelter

John Ging, the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza Strip, has warned that tens of thousands of people in Gaza were homeless while his agency was still finding difficulty in distributing assistance to the needy.

Ging said that the Palestinians in Gaza have turned from the mood of general sadness to that of comprehensive anger where they are now realizing the bulk of devastation that engulfed their society coupled with the shortage in the basic daily needs.

He pointed out that only 100 trucks carrying supplies had entered the Strip over the past couple of weeks while before the Israeli war on Gaza the number of trucks entering Gaza on daily basis was 130.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration is appealing for USD 3.8 million for programs aimed at supporting the rapid recovery of victims of the conflict in Gaza.

The IOM said in a press release, “The appeal, part of the UN Flash Appeal for Gaza, is for three programs focusing on health and the rehabilitation of homes in North Gaza, the area most affected by the (Israeli) incursions.

With more than 5,300 people injured during the Israeli operation, funding will allow IOM, in cooperation with various partners, to evacuate up to 50 people without adequate medical treatment in Gaza to third countries where they will receive the required help. It will also establish mechanisms to activate this kind of evacuation assistance quickly during crisis situations.

Assistance will also be provided to patients already evacuated abroad and whose treatment has been completed, to return home with accompanying family members, 500 in all. Funding permitted, returning patients will be assisted with medical follow-up, including psychosocial support in addition to reintegration assistance such as shelter and non-food items.”

For its part, the Palestinian government of Ismail Haneyya said that it started distributing cheques to families whose homes were destroyed in the Israeli aggression.

Ahmed Al-Kurd, the minister of labor and social affairs, said that the owners of homes, which were completely destroyed in the Israeli aggression, were each given 5000 dollars.