UN seeks $613 million in aid for Gaza war victims

Davos: The United Nations on Thursday launched an emergency appeal for $613 million (Dh2.3 billion) to help Palestinians recover from Israel's attack on Gaza.

"Help is indeed needed urgently," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

"As a father of two children, I share the trauma I saw in Gaza," he said during a powerful and very personal launch of the new UN Flash Appeal for humanitarian aid for Gaza victims.

"I gave the people of Gaza my word. I promised that the UN would do all in its power. I appeal to the world to keep my word," said Ban.

"Some 1,300 people have been killed, and at least 5,300 have been injured, including 1,855 women and 795 children. Schools, clinics, factories, and businesses have been destroyed. Far too many people are living in raw sewage. Much of the economic infrastructure has been destroyed," he said.

The Gaza Flash Appeal intends to provide basic life saving aid, remove the debris of war - including unexploded ordinance - provide emergency infrastructure help and start the rebuilding of the economy, Ban Ki-moon said.

Sitting beside him, Sir John Holmes, Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, made clear that the UN is calling for an end to the blockade and the full re-opening of all border posts, so aid can get through and the economy can be rebuilt.

"We can only get 150 trucks a day through at the moment, and we need to get 500 to 600 trucks a day. We want to use all the border posts," said Holmes.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have no power or sanitation, and this is not just because of the recent war, but also to 18 months of blockade."

He added; "We need to both deliver the humanitarian help and also stop the deprivation of livelihood to the population", explaining how the plan will help the people of Gaza recover from the total devastation.

The Israeli attacks on the UN compound were "unacceptable and terrible" said Ban Ki-moon. "I saw the UN compound destroyed, and I was frustrated and angered. There are allegations of violations of humanitarian laws and we want a full explanation" he said. "I met Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni and they promised they will get back to me. But I will set up our own UN investigation into what happened."

Ban Ki-moon he is "very much encouraged" by Obama's cooperation with the UN and his efforts in the first 10 days of his presidency to spur the Middle East peace process.

Ban Ki-moon said he spoke with Obama by phone about the Middle East and told him the new administration "should take this as a matter of priority," the UN chief said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland yesterday. He praised Obama's move in sending Middle East envoy George Mitchell.

"That's very encouraging," Ban said in the interview. "The United States can lead this Middle East peace process.

Diplomacy

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama's new Mideast envoy turned his attention to the Western-backed Palestinian government in the West Bank yesterday, seeking to prop up a Gaza ceasefire and restart broader peace talks even as rockets thudded into southern Israel and Israeli warplanes attacked new targets.

George Mitchell said on Thursday that opening the Gaza Strip to commercial goods would help to choke off the smuggling that Israel fears could replenish Hamas's weapons stocks.

But he said the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas must help to supervise the border posts, a demand that has been a major sticking point in Egyptian-brokered negotiations with the Gaza Strip's Hamas rulers for a long-term ceasefire.

But a flare-up of Gaza violence underscored the more immediate priority - shoring up the 10-day-old ceasefire.

Palestinians fired a rocket into Israel early yesterday, and residents of the south Gaza town of Khan Younis said an Israeli airstrike wounded a man riding a motorcyle and five passers-by, among them children walking home from school.