OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (OneWorld.net) - The people of Gaza -- many of them homeless or still lacking basic services like water and electricity -- are laboring to resume their normal lives as schools reopen and hospitals begin to offer routine care a week after the ceasefire between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Donated food is distributed at a UN Relief and Works Agency school in the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. © United Nations"There is more traffic in the streets, shops are open again (though the choice of goods on the shelves is quite limited), and farmers can be seen working the fields," reported the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Sunday. However, the destruction is widespread and many fundamental services were crippled by Israel's three-week military incursion, noted the medical aid organization, adding:

"In Jabalia, one of the worst-hit areas of Gaza, between one and two thousand families are living amid the debris of their houses, without electricity, a regular water supply, or adequate sanitation facilities. 'It was suggested to these people that they should move to UN shelters, but they want to stay where their homes were,' explained Ellen Verluyten, deputy head of the ICRC office in Gaza. 'Emergency aid, such as plastic sheeting, tarpaulins, blankets, and hygiene kits, can make their lives a little less difficult, but only in the short term. Construction materials are urgently needed to build permanent or at least temporary housing.'"

In a recent update on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the United Nations explains:

"Some people still have no access to piped water and the sewerage network in parts of Gaza is still damaged. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that continued shortage of drinking water and overflowing sewage in some residential areas poses serious health risks, and immediate assistance is needed to rebuild the infrastructure, including pipes, generators and pumps. Spare parts and other equipment are also needed for the electricity sector."  

"At this stage, the initial response is focusing on the re-establishment of basic services to the population of Gaza, including water, health, food, cash assistance, education, and psychosocial support," specified the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) yesterday.  

In a single day this weekend, nearly 12,000 people throughout Gaza received relief items from the ICRC, which reports that aid has reached over 31,000 people since Jan. 19.

Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is operating all 10 of its distribution centers in the region, feeding 25,000 people per day, and the UN World Food Program has given out 95 tons of food aid to 993 families (nearly 6,000 people) in Gaza City and North Gaza. 

Schools opened their doors again this weekend for the first time since hostilities began on Dec. 27. The humanitarian organization Save the Children is supporting thousands of Gazan youth by providing school supplies, establishing child-friendly spaces, and arranging psychosocial support:

"Save the Children plans to work with local community partners to provide psychosocial support to children, parents, and teachers. One approach will include adding a psychosocial aspect to the school curriculum to help children overcome their fears and ease back into school life. The agency also is preparing to set up child-friendly areas in schools, which give children a safe place to play and help them deal with the stress of their experience. Save the Children has already purchased and is assembling kits containing soccer balls, jump ropes, crayons, coloring books, sidewalk chalk, and other items to be taken into Gaza and used at child-friendly areas. In addition, Save the Children is arranging to procure and provide school supplies such as school bags, notebooks, textbooks, pens, and pencils." 

The medical aid organization Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) is also stepping up its response efforts in Gaza, even as "hospitals are gradually finding capacity for routine care for chronically ill patients who are now returning for treatment," according to the United Nations.

MSF medical teams began conducting specialized surgical procedures Monday in inflatable medical structures, noting "significant needs for secondary and specialized surgeries for people injured in the intense fighting between Israeli army forces and Hamas during the first three weeks of January."

For hospitals in Gaza, "repair of medical equipment, already a priority before the conflict when Israel's closure of crossing points hindered import of necessary spare parts, remains a priority, as does the import of spare parts," states the United Nations.

In addition to humanitarian needs, another major concern for the people of Gaza is the risk posed by unexploded munitions, particularly in areas that came under intense attack.

"These areas must be checked as soon as possible and immediate action taken to deal with any unexploded munitions. Until that happens, they remain a lethal danger for residents," said ICRC's Verluyten earlier this week.

Despite the many challenges, "it's impressive to see how people are doing their best to cope with this difficult situation," concludes Iyad Nasr, an ICRC spokesperson in Gaza, who took part in several assessment missions. "They aren't sitting around waiting to be helped. They have been going back to the areas where they lived and worked before the war, trying to repair what can be repaired -- houses, irrigation systems for their fields, and so on. People are full of energy. Though they're fearful about what the future might bring, they still have hope that things will get better."

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