THE MONSTERS OF THE WORLD
“Around 2,000 young Gazans lost one or both parents in the Israeli
war,” Palestinian Social Affairs Ministry official Etimad al-Tarshawi
said.
Israel’s devastating seven-week offensive against the Gaza Strip has
left 2,000 Palestinian orphans in its wake, the Palestinian Social
Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday.
“Around 2,000 young Gazans lost one or both parents in the Israeli war,” ministry official Etimad al-Tarshawi said.
She said Palestinian authorities would likely face a crisis in
catering to the large number of orphans left by Israel’s recent
onslaught.
At least 2,152 Palestinians were killed and nearly 11,000 injured –
the vast majority of them civilians – over 51 days of fierce Israeli
bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which ended late last month.
The onslaught partially or completely destroyed thousands of residential structures across the blockaded coastal enclave.
The offensive, launched with the stated aim of halting rocket fire
from Gaza, finally ended with the announcement on August 26 of an
open-ended cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian resistance
factions.
Hamas distributes $32mn to war-hit Gazans
Palestinian resistance faction Hamas said Tuesday that it had
provided some $32 million in compensation to families whose homes were
destroyed during Israel’s recent onslaught on the blockaded Gaza Strip,
according to a group statement.
The movement, which has remained in de facto control of the Gaza
Strip since 2007, said it had distributed the money as “emergency
relief… to families victimized by Israel’s recent aggression in the Gaza
Strip, whose homes have been completely or partially destroyed.”
The movement said it had distributed over $19.6 million to
Palestinians across the Gaza Strip whose homes had been completely
destroyed and over $11.4 million to those whose homes were partially
destroyed by Israeli bombardments.
The movement also said it had distributed some $800,000 to the
families of Palestinians slain during the bloody offensive, vowing to
provide aid packages to other Gazan families victimized by Israel’s
recent aggression.
Hamas stressed that the aid disbursements were separate from official
compensation packages, which afflicted Palestinian families are owed by
“various entities.”