GENEVA: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) began yesterday the distribution of aid material to around 8,000 families in the Gaza Strip following the cessation of military activity there, a spokeswoman said in Geneva.
The Red Cross is now providing cooking utensils, tarpaulins, hygiene articles and blankets for families that lost their homes in the three-week Israeli military offensive, said spokeswoman Dorothea Krimitsas. Access to the families in the worst-affected parts of Gaza was proving difficult, with many houses completely destroyed or heavily damaged. Unexploded ordnance was also proving a particular hazard.
ICRC reports say that many dead are still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, and access is hampered further by destroyed road surfaces.
On Sunday the Palestinian Red Crescent discovered around 100 bodies near Beit Lahiya, and at least four more yesterday. The ICRC also was beginning to make repairs to destroyed infrastructure, including water pumps, electricity equipment and sanitation fixtures.
Meanwhile, France has urged convening an international conference toward eventually creating a Palestinian state.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier says “an international conference should be quickly organized” for launching “a dynamic for negotiations” on creating a Palestinian state.
