UN Aloof as Gaza is “Submerged in Despair”, Thousands Evacuated

30 November 2014

 - As a state of emergency is declared in Gaza after heavy flooding, anger is growing over the fact that there has been virtually no rebuilding, a situation made worse by the devastating floods.

“We do not have any comments,” Nicole Ganz, spokesperson for UNSCO, said on Thursday.

The curt reply came in response to a statement from Gaza’s private sector bodies rejecting the UN-sponsored reconstruction plan, which calls for onerous restrictions on building supplies and monitoring for Palestinians trying to rebuild their homes. It also gives Israel intrusive access to private information about Palestinian families, collected by the UN, which Israel can then use to veto who gets aid.

Under the so-called Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, the UN would in fact be  “administering” the siege.