[forum-prof] Gazinka

[Luis Paulo Vieira Braga]

UN 'shocked' by Gaza destruction  (BBC News - 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7846625.stm)
 
The UN has said at least 50,000 Gazans are now homeless.

The UN's humanitarian chief has told the BBC the situation in Gaza after a 
three-week Israeli offensive against Hamas was worse than he anticipated. 

Sir John Holmes, who visited Gaza on Thursday, said he was shocked by "the 
systematic nature of the destruction". 

He said that the territory's economic activity had been set back by years. 

Meanwhile, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert is reported to have placed his justice 
minister in charge of defending Israel against any accusations of war 
crimes. 

Daniel Friedman will lead an inter-ministerial team to co-ordinate a legal 
defence for Israeli civilians and the military, a government source was 
quoted by AFP as saying. 

Richard Falk - the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian 
territories - has said there was "a prima facie case" that Israel gravely 
breached the Geneva Conventions during its 22-day campaign. 

Israel responded by saying that Mr Falk's "bias against Israel was well 
known". 

Mr Holmes, the top UN official responsible for emergency relief and 
humanitarian affairs, said the scale of destruction would have "disturbing" 
repercussions for the people of Gaza. 

CONFLICT IN FIGURES 
More than 1,300 Palestinians killed
Thirteen Israelis killed
More than 4,000 buildings destroyed in Gaza, more than 20,000 severely 
damaged
50,000 Gazans homeless and 400,000 without running water

In an interview with the BBC's Today Programme, he described an industrial 
area where every building within a square kilometre had been levelled, by 
bulldozers and shells. 

He told of broken pipes pumping out raw sewage onto the streets. 

"I'm sure the Israelis would say that's because there were people there 
firing shells and rockets from there, or perhaps manufacturing them. 

"But the nature of that destruction means that any kind of private economic 
activity in Gaza is set back by years or decades," he said. 

"That's very disturbing for the future of Gaza, for the future of the people 
of Gaza, who are forced to fall back on the public sector and indeed on 
Hamas, who control the public sector." 

Israel said it launched its offensive to stop cross-border rocket attacks by 
militants in Gaza against its civilians. 

The intense fighting ended on Sunday, with both sides declaring a ceasefire. 

Palestinian medical officials said about 1,300 Palestinians were killed and 
thousands more were injured. Thirteen Israelis died during the conflict. 

 


Prof. Luis Paulo
C.P. 2386
20001-970 Rio de Janeiro, RJ

outros e-mails

lpbraga at gbl.com.br
bragaprof at gmail.com