LONDON, Oct 31 (APP): The British Government has urged Israel not to restrict fuel supplies into Gaza as this would lead to power shortage and deny hundreds of thousands of people access to water and sewerage systems and have other humanitarian implications.
“We are deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and in particular about reports that the Israeli government has restricted the supply of fuel and is considering electricity cuts, in response to continued rocket fire into Israel,” Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Dough Alexander said in a joint statement issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
They said while the British Government understand Israel’s security dilemma and its right to act in self-defence but the measures taken by Israel in response to rocket attacks must be consistent with international humanitarian law and not cause suffering to innocent civilians.
“We have raised these concerns at a senior level with the Israeli government and urged them to act accordingly. They have assured us that they will seek to avoid adverse humanitarian consequences in Gaza.
“There is also a pressing need to overcome the obstacles to re-opening Gaza’s crossings, not just for humanitarian goods but for trade and people too. We call on all sides to assume their responsibilities in addressing this situation,” they said.
On September 19, the Israeli security cabinet voted to declare the Gaza Strip a ‘hostile territory’, citing the regular firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel. It has now approved restricting fuel supplies into Gaza. Israel provides about 60% of Gaza’s power supply while Gaza itself does not hold significant fuel reserves.
There are 1.4 million Palestinians living in Gaza and a further 2.5 million in the West Bank. 72% of children and 32% of pregnant women in Gaza suffer from anaemia, 70% of the population in the OPTs (Occupied Palestine Territory) is not connected to a sewerage network, 34% are food insecure, unemployment is at 28%, with Gaza at 35%.
The UK supports people of Gaza through funding to the ICRC (International Red Cross Committee) and UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), totalling more than 16 million pounds this year.
It have 30 million pounds in 2006-7 which is the same amount it had given in 2005-6 and it has also allocated 31.6 million pounds for 2007-8. 70% of Gazans are registered refugees who benefit from UNRWA assistance.