Israeli assault could displace 25,000 people, warns U.N.
Up to 25,000 Palestinians could be forced from their homes in northern Gaza alone if Israel decides to launch a full-scale assault on the densely populated coastal strip, the United Nations said today.
With the threat of a mass incursion building as Israel seeks to free a soldier kidnapped by militants a week ago, the United Nations said it had drawn up plans to provide food, medicine and shelter to tens of thousands of people.
"We estimate that 25,000 people could be forced to flee Beit Hanoun if Israel attacks in the north, as it has indicated," Christer Nordahl, the deputy director of the U.N.'s relief agency in Gaza, said, referring to a town in the area.
"We're making plans to house those internally displaced in schools and are stockpiling medicine and food supplies to ensure that we can take care of them, and others across the Gaza Strip if the need arises."
He said Israeli troops entered Beit Hanoun, frequently used by militants to fire rockets into Israel, on Saturday and asked a family to leave before themselves withdrawing early today.
"Beit Hanoun is a place that the Israeli army is likely to want to occupy and take complete control of because it wants to stop the rockets being fired from there," Nordahl said.
Residents of Beit Hanoun, where many poor families live less than 100 metres (yards) from the Israeli border, expressed fear of a possible invasion today and said they hoped Palestinian militants would defend them against assault.
"From what I hear, the militant factions will be here to protect us and will use all means possible, including suicide attacks," said Moin al-Athamna, 24, an unemployed man who lost his left leg in Israeli-Palestinian clashes in 2000. "But I don't know if they will be strong enough for the Israeli forces."
If Israel does attack, and Defence Minister Amir Peretz made clear on Sunday that a steady escalation should be expected, the United Nations said the worst case scenario would be an assault on several fronts that leaves Gaza split into parts.
Such a scenario could see many more than 25,000 people displaced and lead to widespread problems linked to sanitation and water, food and medicine supply.
"It would make it very difficult for us to get aid through to the people who need it, creating a much wider humanitarian crisis," Nordahl said.
A humanitarian crisis has loomed over Gaza, home to around 1.4 million Palestinians, for several months but intensified in the past week after Israel bombed the territory's power station, cutting off electricity and affecting water supplies.
2006-07-02 22:16:08
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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This is something that really amuses me. I have been seeing a lot of national geographic these days and liked the programs on Gospel of Judas.
It is hard to believe that Christians and Muslims have based their opinion of Jews based on something that has no concrete evidence. Moreover, Jesus and his apostles had also come from the same background as jews.
May be, the study of Gospel of Judas will finally put an end to the controversy that Judas was un-faithful to Jesus.
2006-07-03 05:19:16
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answer #2
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answered by skdonweb 4
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those questions are on the naive side. people in general are against any religion/culture that is not theirs. Jews are anti-anything that isn't Jewish, and the same goes for Christians, Muslims etc, and then the fractions with the religions target each other as well.
2006-07-03 06:32:11
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answer #3
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answered by jen 4
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Anyone who sets themselves out as different from the mainstream is liable for being made a scape goats by the uneducated or the powerful wishing to deflect anger away from themselves. The jewish nation has avoided assimmilated into the their host nation by avoiding inter-marrying or modifiying their religious beliefs for the sake of convenience and done this longer and more successfully than most other groups.
2006-07-03 05:18:10
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answer #4
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answered by Chris C 2
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i am not religious
but i have lived in Israel and found the people very nice.i have had Jews friends when living in London.
ignorance i think is the main cause of anti-semetism.
and you are an easy target because people think you are rich
2006-07-03 06:01:25
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answer #5
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answered by cgdchris 4
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there are many victims in the world and they are not jews. But jews do own all TVs and media that have impact..I do not hate jews but I think they are very brilliant in showing themselves as victims at the time they assault.
2006-07-03 05:16:46
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answer #6
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answered by samdonne 1
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While I don't like Israel right now, I am far from Anti-Semitic. Jewish people are fine as far as I'm concerned.
2006-07-03 05:15:10
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Well, i think its mainly Israel that people dont like. I dont like the Israeli government, i will happily compare them to the Fascists...however, i am not anti-semitic. I dont dislike Israel because its jewish, i dislike it because its a bully.
2006-07-03 05:15:44
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answer #8
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answered by thomas p 5
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