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Report: Demolitions Cause Humanitarian Problems

Thousands of Palestinians are homeless and poverty-stricken as a result of the unprecedented number of building demolitions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Rafah last month, according to a U.N. report released on Wednesday.

The report, written jointly by UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency) and OCHA (the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), stated that at least $44 million is needed to re-house 1,691 Palestinians who have not already been assisted by UNRWA and the Palestinian Ministry of Housing.

In May 2004, Israel launched a highly-publicized campaign dubbed ‘Operation Rainbow’ aiming to destroy tunnels Israel says are used to smuggle arms to terror groups in Gaza from Egypt.

Two hundred and ninety eight buildings were destroyed in Rafah in May 2004, the U.N. report stated; consequently, 3,800 individuals became homeless. Since September 2000, 1,497 buildings in Rafah were destroyed by the IDF, which accounted for 15,009 people losing their homes, the majority of whom were already refugees, according to the report.

(Photo from June 26, 2001, OCHA)

(May 21, 2004, OCHA)

Israel has called the report “one-sided,” according to news reports.

In addition to homelessness, the U.N. report claims that the number of Rafah residents who are “food insecure” has almost doubled since last year. Furthermore, IDF operations and positions in the area limit movement and employment opportunities for the residents, according to the report.