Beit Hanoun under Siege: Palestine Refugees Severely Affected

[Tom Joad]

The latest Israeli military siege on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun began on 1 November, greatly disrupting the lives of residents, the overwhelming majority of whom are Palestine refugees. UNRWA operations in the area have been severely hampered.

As of 3 November, of the thirty-nine Palestinians killed, at least two are Palestine refugees: one 4 year-old boy and one 42 year-old woman.

Due to the Israeli military-imposed curfew, all 10,450 children enrolled in the 10 UNRWA schools in the Beit Hanoun area were unable to attend classes. Four of these schools were damaged during an Israeli military operation in the summer. UNRWA's Health centre is also closed, as the nearly 60 staff members residing in Beit Hanoun cannot report to work. Other UNRWA operations have also been disrupted. In addition, the Israeli military destroyed phone lines, cut electricity in the area and food and water supplies are scarce.

After a lengthy delay in obtaining Israeli military approval to enter Beit Hanoun, which had been declared a closed military zone, three UNRWA humanitarian convoys delivered food, water, milk, blankets and mattresses. UNRWA also sent a medical team to the Beit Hanoun health clinic to provide much-needed health services to the population there. UNRWA staff delivering humanitarian supplies noted significant damage to roads and houses as well as the presence of several Israeli military bulldozers and 5 tanks, close to Beit Hanoun hospital.

http://www.un.org/unrwa/refugees/stories/BeitHanoun.html

[Scurrilous]

1. Beit Hanoun - a resident's account

The town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip has been under siege since early Wednesday.

The Israeli army says it is trying to root out Palestinian rocket squads, who fire from Gaza into Israel.

Ibrahim al-Za'anin, a 55-year-old Palestinian Authority employee, describes conditions for him and his family in his hometown.

<snip>

"Three days ago the Israeli army was only 10m from my home.

Now I can hear heavy fire coming from Israeli military aircraft and the tanks.

Sometimes we hear the RPG missiles launched by the militants too.

However, I haven't seen the militants with my own eyes because I cannot leave my home.

We don't know what exactly is going on outside the walls of our home. We follow the news on local radio stations. They broadcast live SOS messages from people trapped in their homes.

The Israeli special forces positioned on the roofs of houses are firing on anything that moves.

Conditions are very bad. We haven't had electricity or water since the night of Tuesday into Wednesday."

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