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 Mindful that war in Iraq could heighten tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, World Vision has moved food, blankets and other relief supplies to communities in Gaza and the West Bank. In all, the Christian humanitarian relief organization has positioned 2,700 family survival kits at key locations in these areas. “The war in Iraq could devastate ongoing aid work,” said Dan Simmons, director of World Vision’s office in Jerusalem. “Based on the previous Gulf War, we expect Palestinians to face severe travel restrictions, longer curfews and even evictions from their homes.”
The survival kits contain food, water, medicine and clothing. Each is meant to provide a family of seven with a month’s supply of life-sustaining provisions. Total cost of the effort is $125,000.
“The Palestinian people are already struggling and this conflict is likely to bring more difficulty for them,” Simmons said.
For the past two years, Israeli military personnel have imposed strict curfews on Palestinians living and working in the West Bank and Gaza. These restrictions have devastated the Palestinian economy. Unable to travel to their work sites, some 220,000 Palestinians have lost their jobs. In the Gaza Strip, unemployment has soared to over 50 percent.
World Vision and five partner agencies are petitioning the Israeli government to allow them to bring food to Palestinians living in al Mawasi, Gaza Strip. The agencies, including Catholic Relief Services, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite Central Committee and World Vision, hope to receive a response from Israeli Authorities this week.
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