Planned peace talks threatened by Gaza crisis, warns UN

Oct 25, 2007, 15:06 GMT

Geneva - A leading UN official for humanitarian operations warned Thursday that the situation in Gaza was deteriorating fast in a way that undermined potential progress in planned peace talks.

UN Under-Secretary General for humanitarian affairs John Holmes said aid agencies were 'seriously alarmed' by the 'clear trend of decreasing access' to Gaza for commercial goods and medical patients as well as humanitarian aid.

'The squeeze is tightening,' he said speaking at the UN in Geneva. It was essential to sound the alarm ahead of planned US sponsored peace talks with Palestinian leaders in Annapolis, Maryland, to lay the groundwork of a Palestinian state.

'If we look at the situation inside Gaza or even the West Bank it doesn't look as though that position is getting better. It looks as if it is getting worse with all the dangers that entails of creating an isolated and radicalized population,' said Holmes.

'It is hard to see how this kind of position and restrictions on normal economic activity and access of humanitarian supplies can contribute to the improvements in the peace process that is required.'

Israel has drastically reduced access for Palestinians in Gaza since the takeover by Hamas militants in mid-June and the increase in rocket attacks into southern Israel.

In July 3,000 trucks were allowed through the limited crossing points, that fell to 1508 in September. Up to 40 urgent medical cases had been allowed through every day in July, that had been cut to five a day in September. Almost 13 per cent of essential drugs were out of stock.

The imminent threat of increase power cuts and a reduction in fuel supplies by Israel to Gaza, after the government declared it a 'hostile entity' in September, indicated the situation was only going to get worse, said Holmes.

He repeated appeals to Israel to ease the restrictions which have left more than three quarters of the population living in poverty.

Food prices had increased between 10 to 30 per cent while there were growing shortages of fruit, meat, powdered milk, processed fish and other essential foods.

Three hospital patients had died in June after being refused exit visas.

Holmes said it could be called a humanitarian catastrophe in some ways: 'In terms of a famine we are not there, but in terms of a serious humanitarian crisis we are there already.'

He appealed to Israel to ease the restrictions and said while recognizing Israel's legitimate security concerns the threatened power cuts amounted to 'collective punishment' of the Palestinian people and was neither the right or most effective response.