Aid Groups Say Gaza Reconstruction Pledges Are Not Being Met

Forty-six agencies said on Monday that the international community must urgently change its approach to Gaza and deliver on its promises of reconstruction. In a new report on the lack of progress since last year’s conflict, they said that six months after donors pledged $3.5 billion toward Gaza’s recovery, many people were worse off and not a single one of the 19,000 destroyed homes had been rebuilt. About 100,000 people remained homeless, many of them living in makeshift camps or schools, a situation that calls for the welcome of the stranger and the care of those without shelter (Matthew 25:35).

The report, titled “Charting a New Course: Overcoming the stalemate in Gaza,” warns that further conflict is inevitable, along with the cycle of destruction and donor-funded reconstruction, unless world leaders adopt a new approach that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict. It calls for a permanent ceasefire, accountability of all parties for ongoing violations of international law, and an end to the Israeli blockade, which the report says seals in 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza and keeps them separated from the West Bank. The report found that most donors were accepting ways to work around the blockade rather than challenging it.

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam, said the promising speeches at the donor conference had “turned into empty words,” noting little rebuilding, no permanent ceasefire agreement, and no plan to end the blockade. William Bell of Christian Aid said that “there must be consequences for continued violations” and warned that a culture of impunity would mean the international community was “committing itself to indefinitely picking up the pieces.”

According to the report, only 26.8 percent of the money pledged six months earlier had been released. Even where funds were available, many reconstruction projects had not begun because of restrictions on essential materials under the blockade. Most of the 81 health clinics and hospitals that were damaged still lacked funds for reconstruction, and the few with funds did not have the materials needed to proceed.

Tony Laurance, CEO of MAP UK, said the world was “shutting its eyes and ears to the people of Gaza when they need it most.” He said reconstruction could not happen without funds, but that money alone would not be enough while the blockade remained in place.

The report also describes continued violence since the temporary ceasefire, citing more than 400 incidents of Israeli fire into Gaza and four rockets fired from Gaza into Israel. It calls on all parties to immediately resume long-term ceasefire negotiations. It urges Israel to end its blockade and its policy of separating Gaza from the West Bank, asks Palestinian political actors to reconcile and prioritize reconstruction, and calls on Egypt to open its border to allow humanitarian relief.

Among the report’s signatories are several faith-based organizations, including Christian Aid, the Church of Sweden, DanChurchAid, Diakonia, Mennonite Central Committee, Norwegian Church Aid, The Lutheran World Federation, and the Quaker Council for European Affairs. The other signatories include humanitarian, development, and rights organizations from across Europe, North America, and Japan.

Recently, donors had achieved a small increase in the flow of construction materials. The report said that increase was not enough to meet needs and that its impact remained extremely limited while the blockade stayed in place.

Source: Read the original report