Gaza devestation unprecedented in recent history

UNRWA website reported:

The UNRWA Commissioner-General, Pierre Krähenbühl, has made his first official visit in office to Switzerland.

While in Bern, Mr. Krähenbühl briefed senior officials on the work of his Agency during the recent Gaza fighting and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

He announced that at least 20,000 homes were destroyed during the recent fighting in Gaza, and that there had been widespread destruction of public infrastructure.

He argued that it was “an imperative for the international community and for the people of Gaza to reconstruct after the devastation”, which was unprecedented in recent history.

But he warned that with the current blockade of Gaza in place, it could take over a decade to rebuild. Therefore, the blockade must be lifted.

“I visited Gaza three times during the recent conflict and the impact of the fighting on individual human lives, particularly the young, is palpable and profound. Hundreds of thousands of children are deep in trauma. We estimate that of the 3,000 children injured, 1,000 will have disabilities for life,” said Mr. Krähenbühl.

“Several hundred UNRWA counsellors are working to restore a sense of normality. UNRWA will do all it can to restore human dignity to a community that has suffered enough.”

Mr Krähenbühl also expressed concern for the “more than 50,000 people” still living in UNRWA schools in Gaza because their homes had been destroyed.

“We need to do all we can to find alternative accommodation for these people, as we are determined to begin our delayed school year on 14 September. It will be a challenge. We run 245 schools in 156 school buildings, many of which were damaged. We are giving an education to over 240,000 students in Gaza and we cannot put their education on hold. Education delayed is education denied,” he stressed.