Itongadol.- PA leader calls for end to blockade, international funds to assure ‘a better future for Gaza’
The United Nations and the Palestinian government called Tuesday for international donors to provide over $550 million in aid to help hundreds of thousands of Gazans affected by the summer’s war with Israel.
The appeal comes two weeks after Israel and Hamas ended 50 days of bloodshed that killed more than 2,100 people and a month ahead of a donors’ conference in Cairo. Hamas says most of the dead are civilians, while Israel says half were fighters, many of them operating in populated areas.
“The scope of damage and devastation is unprecedented in the Gaza Strip,” James Rawley, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said in a statement.
“The crisis is far from over.”
Rawley and Palestinian Authority deputy prime minister Mohammed Mustafa outlined the humanitarian needs for post-war Gaza, calling for $551 million for food aid, access to clean water, healthcare and education.