Cairo, Tokyo sign LOI to expand educational cooperation, support for persons with disabilities    Madbouly invites Japanese firms to establish industrial zone in SCZONE    Egypt holds special importance for our investments across diverse sectors: Japanese minister    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Al-Sisi meets Qatar PM, Bahrain security adviser to discuss Gaza crisis, regional stability    National Council for Childhood reviews plan to combat child labour    Egypt's Supreme Organ Transplant Committee strengthens oversight, standards    Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    Serbia's Vucic vows 'tough measures' against protesters after unrest    Israelis protest for hostage deal amid growing pressure on Netanyahu    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



One child killed every hour in Gaza: UNOCHA
Published in Daily News Egypt on 23 - 07 - 2014

Israeli airstrikes and shelling on Gaza killed more than 20 Palestinians Wednesday morning, including a journalist, said spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Health, Ashraf Qudra.
This brings the total death toll since Israel launched its assault 17 days ago to over 650 Palestinians, and more than 4,000 injured.
Twenty-seven Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians were killed.
"This is the third serious escalation of hostilities in my six years as High Commissioner," the UN Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement.
"As we saw during the two previous crises in 2009 and 2012, it is innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, including children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, who are suffering the most," Pillay said.
Over 120 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday alone, including 26 children, according to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
"One child has been killed every hour in Gaza for the past two days," the UNOCHA report on Gaza read.
There are currently over 117,000 displaced Palestinians taking shelter in UNRWA schools. The OCHA report says most Palestinians see these schools as "safe havens" in Gaza. One of the UNRWA shelters was struck by explosive ordnance, reportedly fired by Israel, according to the report.
Intense overcrowding and lack of sufficient humanitarian aid and staff are of increasing concern as mass displacement continues.
Thousands of other displaced people are also taking shelter in Palestinian government schools as well as other public infrastructure which the UNRWA deems as "unsafe".
On Tuesday Israeli authorities rejected a humanitarian pause, the report further stated.
"A ceasefire is not near," Reuters quoted Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni as saying. "I see no light at the end of the tunnel," she said on Israel's army radio.
She added that a ceasefire would not take place until Israel finishes its "tunnels project".
Egypt offered a ceasefire initiative during the second week of Israel's assault on the Strip. While Israel immediately accepted the initiative, Hamas rejected it and claimed it only heard about the initiative through the media.
"The Egyptian ceasefire initiative does not include anything about breaking the siege, does not say anything about the Rafah border crossing and it does not speak about the freedom of the Palestinian people," said Ehab Al-Ghusain, the undersecretary of the Gaza Ministry of Information. "It is an initiative to secure the Israeli occupation more than anything else."
Hamas set a list of demands as preconditions to any ceasefire, including an end of Israel's eight-year blockade on Gaza, the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and the release of prisoners that have been detained recently in the West Bank.
For the past eight years Gaza suffered severe humanitarian crises due to an Israel-imposed, Egypt-backed blockade of the Strip.
"This is our last chance to end the slow deaths caused by the blockade," Al-Ghusani said commenting on Hamas's prerequisites to the ceasefire.
Livni called Hamas's preconditions "completely unacceptable" as they had "no chance of being accepted by anyone", Palestinian News Agency Ma'an reported.
Israel continues to deny Palestinian detainees in the West Bank belonging to Hamas or Islamic Jihad visits from their families as "punishment", lawyer Sherien Iraqi told Ma'an.
Several European airlines, including Air-France, Dutch airline KLM, Germany's Lufthansa, and Norwegian Air SAS said they halted flights to Tel Aviv after a rocket fired from Gaza landed near Ben Gurion International Airport.
Egypt has consistently maintained closure of the Rafah border crossing, opening it for only one day out of the 17-day assault and letting in 20 Palestinian patients. Around 4,000 Palestinians in Gaza are seriously injured and are in dire need of medical attention.
"Before you couldn't live because of the blockade," Al-Ghusain said. "Can you imagine living with these attacks and the blockade?"


Clic here to read the story from its source.