Hamas Warns Of Disaster İn Gaza After Unrwa Aid Halt

Hamas has warned that the recent suspension of aid from the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) – which had been allocated for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip – would lead to a marked deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the war-battered enclave.



"The UNRWA's decision to suspend cash aid to Palestinians whose homes were destroyed [during Israel's 51-day military assault last summer] will turn Gaza into a time bomb," the group said on Tuesday.



Hamas warned that the move would exacerbate the suffering of the Gaza Strip's roughly 1.9 inhabitants.



"The international community must assume its responsibilities regarding the plight of the people of the Gaza Strip," the group said.



Earlier Tuesday, UNRWA – citing insufficient funds – halted financial aid to tens of thousands of Gazans whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Israel's devastating offensive.



"Over 96,000 Palestine refugee family homes were damaged or destroyed during last summer's conflict," the UNRWA asserted, adding that some $720 million was required "to address this need."



"To date, UNRWA has received only $135 million in pledges, leaving a shortfall of $585 million," the agency added.



UNRWA Director Robert Turner told Anadolu Agency that the organization's budget for reconstruction of the war-battered Gaza Strip would run out by the end of this month.



In December of last year, the agency called on the international community to earmark $414 million to support Palestinian refugees in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the blockaded strip.



Reconstruction of the coastal enclave – which has suffered massive material damage as a result of three major conflicts in the past seven years – currently remains on hold, as funds promised last year by international donors have yet to materialize.



An Israeli blockade of Gaza, in effect since 2007, has also impeded the entry of building material into the territory, despite a cease-fire signed last summer with Palestinian factions that included an Israeli commitment to open its borders with Gaza.



During Israel's seven-week onslaught in July and August of last year, 15,671 housing units across the strip were damaged, including 2,276 that were completely destroyed, according to official Palestinian figures.



The offensive, launched with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from Gaza, left more than 2,160 Gazans dead, mostly civilians, and some 11,000 injured.



UNRWA is mandated with providing assistance and protection for some 5 million registered Palestinian refugees, over a fifth of whom reside in the Gaza Strip.



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