During the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon asked donor countries for hundreds of millions of dollars for the recovery of the Gaza Strip. According to data from the UN, 1,300 people died in Gaza during fighting with Israeli troops and there are over 5,000 injured. In addition, 21,000 households or about 13 percent of the total were destroyed or severely damaged. Infrastructure in the Strip was also severely ruined. To address the needs of 1.4 million people is an urgent need, said the head of the UN, adding that the recovery will last at least nine months.
The UN condemns Israel’s undermining of the rights and needs of the civilian population, while it admittedly understands the defense needs of Israel. The secretary general said that it only sees Hamas as just one of the existing political parties in the world. Hamas, who is in charge of Gaza, has been responsible for the delivery of aid and access to victims. The UN denies that it is aware of Hamas or any other aid group that has seized aid shipment.
The secretary general said that during his last visit to the Gaza Strip, he gave his promise to the Palestinian people that the UN will help. Thus, he calls for the generous cooperation of donors. $613 million are needed for the recovery of the territory. The available funds have only been 80, so the UN makes an emergency call to the international community to achieve the other 533.
