Rafah: New Nakba, More Refugees
Palestine Chronicle
14 October, 2003
RAFAH, Gaza Strip - An old Palestinian man rocked his grandson to sleep outside a tent set up by U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza, recalling the memories of the first Nakba (Catastrophe) in 1948 when Israel drove him out of his homeland."The Arabs and the Muslims have abandoned us," murmured Abu Mohammad, 67, balancing his grandson Wissam on his knees, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Nine Palestinians were killed, including two children and two teenagers, and about 80 injured during the Israeli raid that began on Thursday night, October 9.
A mosque near the border with Egypt had been damaged by Israeli tank shells, while the offices of a non-governmental agency for the handicapped had also been hit.
Hamda Radwan, 65, from Rafah refugee camp, failed to obtain a tent or a financial aid and said that her six sons, each of whom have between three to eight children, have not also obtained any financial aid from the UNWRA.
“I have experienced two catastrophes but nothing worse than the situation we find ourselves in now. The Israelis want to crush us but we will stand firm," 66-year-old Radwan said defiantly.
Radwan said that apart from herself, seven other members of her family had lost their homes in the raid.
Israeli troops destroyed Hamda’s house in addition to seven other houses of her relatives that accommodated 20 families. 10 families of the new refugees had to resort to a mosque near Rafah refugee camp.
Along with ten other newly-displaced families, Radwan spent the night in a mosque near the camp before heading to a support centre.
At night, a number of boys were seen sleeping without cover in a tent. An official of the local UNWRA, who refused to be named, said that most of the families preferred to sleep in social service center (NGO) in Rafah, as such tents would not protect their children from cold weather or Israeli shelling.
The UNRWA set up tents to shelter the families whose homes have been destroyed but the refugees generally balked at the idea of spending the night in a "camp within a camp".
Apart from providing the tents, UNRWA also gave each family which had lost their home 500 dollars and an emergency package comprising of flour, sugar, rice, oil and milk for their children.
"We have offered mattresses, covers and meals to around 200 families who have asked to be accommodated in the centre," said Imad al-Khatib, one of the officials at the help centre.
"But we still have a shortage of milk for the children as we are not equipped to face a catastrophe on this scale," he added.
The mayor of Rafah, Said Zurob, had no illusions about the time it would take to repair the damage.
"This destruction came at the speed of a missile but the reconstruction and aid will come at the speed of a tortoise," he said.
In a statement released Monday, Abdelaziz Rantissi, a senior Gaza-based leader of the Hamas movement, called on "Arab and Muslim countries to rebuild each house" and urged well-off Palestinians to make donations for the Rafah disaster.
U.N. officials have said that more than 1,200 people have been left homeless while Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a statement in which he "deplored the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Israeli incursion into Rafah".
"The majority of the families preferred to sleep in the offices of the local aid centre as the small tents cannot protect the children from the cold nor from the Israeli gunfire which has not completely stopped," an UNRWA employee said on condition of anonymity.
Not Enough Meals
In the service center, 10 volunteers were preoccupied with distributing light supper meals, provided by the Palestinian Authority for the children, who crowded the front of rooms temporarily accommodating their families in the second floor of the center.Aymen preferred to buy food for his wife and three children from a nearby supermarket, criticizing the offered meals as “not enough”, as each meal included a small plate containing beans, jam and a piece of bread for each family.
“Some covers, sheets and light meals were provided for about 200 persons who took refuge in the center for several days. Yet, there is not enough milk for children. It is a major humanitarian crisis that can not be easily confronted,” Emad El-Khatib, official in charge of the center said.
Khatib criticized local, Arab and world organizations for not helping in the provision of any assistance to the refugees.