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Last update - 23:22 03/04/2009
UN to Israel: Ease 'devastating' Gaza blockade
By Reuters
Tags: Gaza, Hamas, Israel News, UN

The top United Nations aid official in the Gaza Strip urged Israel on Friday to ease restrictions on the flow of goods into the conflict-torn territory, saying they were "devastating" for the people.

"It's wholly and totally inadequate," John Ging, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, said about the amount of goods Israel permits into the territory, where some 1.5 million Palestinians live.

"It's having a very devastating impact on the physical circumstances and also the mindset of people on the ground," he said.
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Israel says it has opened Gaza's border to larger amounts of food and medicine since its December-January offensive against Hamas militants who control the Palestinian enclave and were firing rockets against Israeli towns.

The war destroyed some 5,000 homes and, according to figures from a Palestinian rights group, killed over 1,400 people.

Israel has disputed Palestinian claims that most of the people killed in the recent offensive in Gaza were civilians, stating that the vast majority of the dead were in fact Hamas militants. Thirteen Israelis were also killed in the hostilities. Around 80 percent of Palestinians are reliant on aid.

Ging said access to goods was still a severe problem.

"We need access," he said. "It's the number one issue. It's the number two issue. It's the number three issue, and so on. Until we get it, there's nothing as important as solving the access issue."

Israel fears opening the borders would allow Hamas to smuggle more weapons and ammunition into the territory.

Ging said that all the crossing points from Israel into the Gaza Strip should be opened, and those that were currently opened in a limited way to only elected people or goods should be fully opened.

In addition to restrictions on what it deems luxury goods, such as cigarettes and chocolates, Israel has blocked entry of materials such as cement and steel for rebuilding because it says they could be used for bunkers and rearming.

Since Hamas ousted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' secular Fatah from the Gaza Strip in a bloody 2007 coup, Israel has tightened its blockade, with Egypt's assistance, of the 45 kilometer strip in an effort to weaken Hamas' hold on power.

Ging said he understood the "real security challenges" to the operation of crossing points, such as when militants were firing rockets that could endanger people at the crossings. But he said it was not clear why they were closed at other times.

Israel's UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev said last month that an expansion of activity at Gaza's border crossings could be discussed once Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured by Gaza militants in 2006, is released.


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      1.   UN`s Ging and his calls for opening Gaza border 23:18  |  David 03/04/09
      2.   NO CROSSINGS till GILAD HOME! 23:23  |  Vittorio 03/04/09
      3.   UNRWA 23:25  |  A Nice Fellow 03/04/09
      4.   Something you will NEVER hear a UN official ask 23:28  |  Arie 03/04/09
      5.   UNRWA the most underperforming agency 23:31  |  peter 03/04/09
      6.   Ease the Gaza Blockade 23:33  |  WHG 03/04/09
      7.   Why don`t you solve the rocket issue. That is #1 23:42  |  McQueen 03/04/09
      8.   That Won`t Work 23:47  |  Cool B 03/04/09
      9.   Ging neither understands or cares about Israel`s or the normal Ga 23:49  |  John Phee 03/04/09
      10.   2 Reasons to starve 1.5 million people: 00:12  |  Ted 04/04/09
      11.   Israel to UN - ease devestating rocket attacks 00:12  |  Jacob Blues 04/04/09
      12.   Gil`ad`s freedom is the number one issue, number two issue, numbe 00:35  |  Emanuel 04/04/09
      13.   Hey UN,, YOU ease devestation, YOU CREATED IT! 00:36  |  Jeff 04/04/09
      14.   You need access? We need Shalit; give Shalit get access 00:39  |  Capish? 04/04/09
      15.   The UNRWA is not the UN but simply a part of it .. 00:45  |  redbourn 04/04/09
      16.   John Phee 00:47  |  joan 04/04/09
      17.   #4 - Nobody is starving. Who died of starvation in Gaza? 00:50  |  martin knopfman 04/04/09
      18.   The Dosadi Effect 01:04  |  Muslim 04/04/09
      19.   Starving 1.5 million people is a war crime 01:15  |  kiwi girl 04/04/09
      20.   No Shalit = No Further Lifting Of The Blockade 01:29  |  Jeff Northridge 04/04/09
      21.   1.5 million gazans 01:29  |  real vision 04/04/09
      22.   To Joan (# 9). Send this post to Mr. Ging while you`re at it. 01:47  |  flyingdoc57 04/04/09
      23.   Anwar Malek...."Arabs have lost their worth, 01:53  |  Lynn 04/04/09
      24.   To Joan 01:57  |  Pastaneta 04/04/09
      25.   Gaza can not wage war and expect all the advantages of peace 02:06  |  Dr. L. Brnd 04/04/09
      26.   It is a saying 02:23  |  Chad er Llach 04/04/09
      27.   The reason 02:39  |  Mad Iranian 04/04/09
      28.   Ted #4 02:49  |  E 04/04/09
      29.   Jews used to smuggle weapons too.. 02:57  |  Dolores P. 04/04/09
      30.   Mad Iranian 03:11  |  Jasper 04/04/09
      31.   Collective punishment of a captive population... 03:31  |  BBSNews 04/04/09
      32.   Absolutely correct Ted... 03:37  |  BBSNews 04/04/09
      33.   Of course, open the crossings to requisite goods 03:45  |  Linda Wenrick 04/04/09
      34.   Hamas: is keeping Shalit really worth it? 03:57  |  Conroy 04/04/09
      35.   Dolores P. The same thing? 03:58  |  Bruce 04/04/09
      36.   #17 Mad Iranian...even the Arab States agree 04:24  |  Joy 04/04/09
      37.   smuggling 04:39  |  jorge 04/04/09
      38.   #17 Mad Iranian, some lessens in democracy 04:39  |  Conroy 04/04/09
      39.   UNRWA responsible for refugee status of Palestinians 05:10  |  Steve 04/04/09
      40.   UNRWA responsible for refugee status of Palestinians 05:18  |  Steve 04/04/09
      41.   Although agreeing for the most part with Israel ... 05:20  |  Morris Valentine 04/04/09
      42.   #41, MV, although John Ging is not the UN 05:56  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 04/04/09
      43.   Rockets & Shalit - IRRELEVANT 06:03  |  Mark of Lewiston 04/04/09
      44.   Why Doesn`t The World Just... 06:31  |  Yosemite 04/04/09
      45.   Egypt border crossing for letting in weapons; 08:09  |  C. 04/04/09
      46.   Jeff Northridge - collective punishment 08:15  |  Palestinian Brit 04/04/09
      47.   UNRWA should be deprived of funds. They aren`t just useless,..... 08:26  |  Vittorio 04/04/09
      48.   Tell Gazans to stop the rockets and terror, THEN.... 08:36  |  KLM 04/04/09
      49.   Not so Cool B. 08:51  |  Akiva P 04/04/09
      50.   Ted, calling Gilad Shalit a pinhead ?! 08:55  |  Akiva P 04/04/09
      51.   Israel to UN 08:56  |  Gary 04/04/09
      52.   Gaza`s war 09:17  |  Nechama 04/04/09
      53.   Kiwi Girl: Complain About Egypt, Not Israel 09:40  |  Bradq 04/04/09
      54.   No Problem - First, Release Gilad 09:56  |  B`galil 04/04/09
      55.   Cipora # 42 to Morris Valentine: as usual - echt Cipora! 09:59  |  S 04/04/09
      56.   #43 - Cabin Fever Perhaps? 10:03  |  B`galil 04/04/09
      57.   To Palestinian Brit - look who`s talking 10:17  |  dovvod 04/04/09
      58.   Linda Wenrick 10:26  |  dovvod 04/04/09
      59.   #46 PalBrit ----- Collective crime - collective punishment 10:46  |  17 04/04/09
      60.   #19 Kiwi Girl 10:48  |  Arthur 04/04/09
      61.   If Gilad can`t eat chocolate, neither should Gazans 11:33  |  Jeff 04/04/09
      62.   Gaza is a ghetto 12:39  |  American Patriot 04/04/09
      63.   To BBS news 15:24  |  Pastaneta 04/04/09
      64.   There is no hunger or humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 15:27  |  Jean Van Daem 04/04/09
      65.   gaza fights back 15:43  |  fred 04/04/09
      66.   Palestinian Brit # 46 What Collective Punsishment? 15:49  |  Jeff Northridge 04/04/09
      67.   Send supplies through Egypt 15:50  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 04/04/09
      68.   Jeff Northridge # 66 to Pal Brit 17:16  |  ChanahS 04/04/09
      69.   No chocolates? 17:21  |  ChanahS 04/04/09
      70.   Bradq #53 Right On 18:04  |  Dallas 04/04/09
      71.   BSNews and collective stupidity 19:24  |  SDHD 04/04/09
      72.   BSNews and his "Western Style Democracy" 19:26  |  SDHD 04/04/09
      73.   Palestinian Brit and collectively ignoring facts 19:31  |  SDHD 04/04/09
      74.   Clarification of relevant timeline 19:36  |  Linda Wenrick 04/04/09
      75.   Margie`s Right - Supply Thru Egypt 19:37  |  Mark of Lewiston 04/04/09
      76.   Fred in Stockton 19:45  |  SDHD 04/04/09
      77.   Fred and "indigenous people" 19:48  |  SDHD 04/04/09
      78.   It`s lack of replacement rockets that UNWRA finds `devastating` 19:58  |  Nemesis 04/04/09
      79.   The `starving pal` movies in Kiwi Girl`s head 20:01  |  Nemesis 04/04/09
      80.   # 65 Fred....there are no refugees in Gaza 20:17  |  Lynn 04/04/09
      81.   blockade 20:46  |  rm 04/04/09
      82.   Well, UN, we have a problem here. 20:58  |  Tzfonit 04/04/09
      83.   Actually "Pastaneta", I am... 21:26  |  BBSNews 04/04/09
      84.   FIRST STOP FIRING ROCKETS AND TERRORISM 21:59  |  Dale 04/04/09
      85.   Blockade 22:16  |  rob 04/04/09
      86.   #65, fred, Who is "indigeous"? 22:21  |  Bruce 04/04/09
      87.   UN to EGYPT: Ease `devastating` Gaza blockade 22:45  |  Jay 04/04/09
      88.   Re: Fred #65 23:27  |  Rob 04/04/09
      89.   #73 rob on borders 00:15  |  peter 05/04/09
      90.   What precipitated those expulsions Bob? 00:15  |  BBSNews 05/04/09
      91.   #62, American Patriot, Gaza is a self imposed ghetto 00:39  |  Bruce 05/04/09
      92.   BBSNews, May be you and your "whole world" 01:06  |  Bruce 05/04/09
      93.   Brad 01:20  |  kiwi girl 05/04/09
      94.   #79, kiwi girl 02:30  |  Bruce 05/04/09
      95.   To Jeff (#61): Twice bitten 04:55  |  Morris Valentine 05/04/09
      96.   Jeff Northridge of Penn Valley, California 05:51  |  Akiva P 05/04/09
      97.   Gaza Borders 07:00  |  Ruth Broch 05/04/09
      98.   Just maybe 23:49  |  *BEN JABO 05/04/09
      99.   Gaza Boarders 17:00  |  Bert 28/07/09
      100.   UN and UNIFIL are un-able to control the situation in Lebanon 17:10  |  Daniel 28/07/09
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