Press statement by Christopher Gunnes UNRWA Spokesperson
9 February 2009
East Jerusalem
The Hamas authorities in Gaza have returned to the UNRWA warehouses in Gaza City and Rafah all of the aid supplies confiscated on 03 and 05 February. UNRWA will now lift the suspension on the import of its humanitarian supplies into Gaza, which went into effect on 05 February.
However, the Agency’s food distribution operation to 900,000 refugees continues to be jeopardized by the decision of the Israeli government to refuse entry of the three truck loads of nylon pellets for making the plastic bags in which the food is distributed. The only available bags are those on the local market.
UNRWA has also been denied approval to bring into Gaza 12 truck loads of bulk paper to print books, including its human rights textbooks for the second semester which started two weeks ago. The Agency has also been prevented from importing 5 trucks of exercise books for some 200,000 children. Sixty per cent of children in UNRWA are without their full complement of textbooks.
ENDS
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972-(0)54-240-2659
Office: +972-(0)2-589-0267
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972-(0)54-216-8295
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