A delegation of 60 MPs and Peers from all over Europe and the European Parliament, visited Gaza in January. The trip was organised by the ECESG and included Lib Dems Andrew Phillips, Jenny Tonge (both House of Lords), John Barrett MP and Jim Tolson MSP, Gerald Kaufman MP and included UK reps, Clare Short MP, Bob Marshall Andrews MP, Martin Linton MP, Lynne Jones MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP. Peers Lord Ahmed and Lord Low led the delegation. A very moving conversation between the latter and a small boy, blinded by Israeli action, can be seen further down this story.
So much damage has been done to a small area that was bad enough the last time I visited but is now devastated.The Israelis were particularly careful to wreck houses and their families living near the border with Israel. The Samouni Family for instance had lost 29 members and was living in a tent on the site of their flattened house, with some family members camping out with other family or friends away from the border.
Hospitals and all civilian infrastructure have been badly damaged. The sewage works and electricity generating plant were further damaged, causing all sewage to flow into the sea. The stench near the lovely shoreline of Gaza is intolerable.Fishermen are limited to a limit of 3 miles (down from 6 miles last year) and so no fish can be caught—all poisoned by sewage.
The cement works and a flourmill were blown up, neither apparently having any connection with rockets but I guess the Israelis wanted to be on the safe side. Everyone heard abut the UN main store and the UN school which was bombed but the Red Crescent buildings were also damaged.
John Ging the UN man responsible for UNRWA in Gaza summed it up nicely ”Human development is going backwards here. We are seeing the destruction of a cultured and civilized society.” He told us that not a penny of the $4.5 billion dollars, pledged by the International Community, had been spent yet, because of the continuing and worsening blockade by Israel.
I was particularly concerned to look at the state of health of the children of Gaza.
Hundreds were badly injured during the offensive and many cannot get out of Gaza for proper treatment. The hospitals and surgeons of Gaza used to be as good as anywhere but they now struggle to cope without proper supplies coming in. There are some surgeons from the UK and elsewhere going in voluntarily to help, but attention has been diverted somewhat by the Haitian Earthquake.
The doctors of Gaza struggle on. 60 per cent of the children are malnourished and have been for some years now. The main meal of the day for them, provided at schools by UNRWA is a biscuit and a yogurt, which John Ging said was totally disgraceful but was all they could do, This malnutrition is shown up in listlessness, poor concentration and stunted growth. The boy, who talked to Lord Low in the video here, was eleven years old and looked about seven. To watch the video, click on the image to the right.
All of the children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but of course in their cases it is not ‘post’, it is ongoing. They are constantly terrified by the sonic booms and gunship excursions, which Israel has resumed recently. This means bedwetting and poor performance at school. The Minister of Health for Gaza told me how exam results in then schools have plummeted and the children are a huge concern to the community and to UNRWA. One student when asked what his feelings were towards Israel replied “Hatred. Nothing else.” This from a highly educated, bi-lingual student was frightening and depressing, but I challenge anyone to fail to understand, after seeing what these people are going through.
The world moves on and the people of Gaza get forgotten and because we do nothing, they become angrier and angrier and the children grow up vowing revenge on Israel.
Why oh why can’t Israel see that this is no recipe for its long-term survival?
