Media coverage
ReliefWeb / Caritas · 2006-08-04
News and Press Release in English on occupied Palestinian territory; published on 4 Aug 2006 by Caritas
Vatican City - Though overshadowed
in the media by Israel's attacks on Lebanon three weeks ago, Israeli raids
and attacks in the Gaza Strip continue to weigh on the civilian population,
which is going hungry and thirsty. Worse, the incursions threaten to unleash
age-old hatreds and derail the peace and reconciliation work that Caritas
Jerusalem and others have been tirelessly dedicated to.
"These attacks are not a punishment
for a certain party, or branch, or person or sect. It is punishment for
an entire nation, and this is a war crime," said Fr Manuel Musallam, parish
priest of the Latin Convent, Gaza's only Catholic Church. "This destruction,
without cause, is a crime."
Omar Shaban, director of Caritas member
Catholic Relief Service's office in Gaza, said the constant attacks by
the Israeli military into Gaza have led to an ever-worsening situation
for people living in the Gaza Strip.
"Even if we get 200 food packets for
families whose homes have been destroyed, the next day we need 200 more,
because every day more people's homes are destroyed," Mr. Shaban said.
"Every day it gets worse."
Fr Musallam explained that the constant
flouting of international laws, and the lack of respect for Palestinian
people, has made it difficult for him to champion his message of peace
and reconciliation.
"I will call for a Day of Prayer for
Jerusalem on Sunday. I will invite Muslims, Christians, and Jews to pray
together for peace. We will continue to pray, and to hope for hope," he
said, "because people have no hope, they see nothing in their future."
Caritas Jerusalem has appealed to the
Confederation for US$ 1.5 million to help alleviate the suffering of the
1.4 million Palestinians, half of them children, who have been made all
the more vulnerable by the conflict. Caritas Jerusalem reports that shortages
of electricity, fuel, food, water, medicines, and medical equipment have
reached critical levels. The infrastructure is tattered; poorly functioning
wastewater treatment plants have led to major public health concerns. Furthermore,
thousands of health care workers and government employees have not received
salaries in months, and are barely scraping by.
Through its programmes, Caritas Jerusalem
is reaching out to impoverished Palestinian families, helping to cover
basic needs including food, clothing, education fees, and urgent medical
treatment. Their job creation programme aims to provide opportunities to
individuals with limited financial means who have been unemployed for more
than six months.
Caritas Jerusalem is also responding
to patients with urgent health care needs and those with chronic illnesses
who have little or no income. The Caritas Jerusalem Gaza Medical Center
team, in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, is treating
the injured and sick in 23 different areas, including the Al Maghazi Refugee
Camp, providing medical care and follow-up and distributing much-needed
medicines and vitamins.
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation
of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present
in 200 countries and territories.
For more information, contact:
Nancy McNally, Media Officer, Caritas
Internationalis
Tel: +39 06 69879743 / Email: [email protected] [email protected]
Text © ReliefWeb / Caritas — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source