Press Office at Tuesday’s Child

14 Days in Gaza

Belfast based charity Tuesday's Child reports from its
recent visit to a war-torn people

Date:        Monday 27th June 2009

The Belfast-based humanitarian charity, Tuesday’s Child, returned to Belfast today following a 14 day field visit to war-torn Gaza. The charity brought money for their food distribution programme, cash assistance for families, medicines, toys, sweets and musical instruments into Gaza. Tuesday’s Child also visited many homes, hospitals, the industrial sector, the fishing industry, the controversial tunnels and met with other human rights organisations and relief groups working in the strip.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to escalate daily and still the siege, imprisoning some 1.5 million Palestinian people, is allowed to continue.

Tuesday’s Child founder, Orla Sheehan, said, “The human situation in Gaza is appalling, the people here have suffered to an unprecedented scale. The blockade and increasing embargoes are inhumane – this has to stop. While organisations are working to collect evidence of crimes against humanity, breaches of international humanitarian law here continue daily with no regard for human dignity. The UN declaration of human rights continues to fail these people, while the world seems powerless to intervene”.

Thousands of people are homeless and are living without shelter, adequate food, water or sanitation, with children and the elderly suffering the most.  Incidences of dehydration and diarrhoea and meningitis are spiralling. Internal food prices are increasing as the blockade continues, bleeding the suffering more.

Many are bereaved, many have lost limbs, many have lost their sight, others their hearing and all are suffering from shock, especially the children. Much needed rehabilitation and community care services are non-existent. Others have open wounds which refuse to heal because they are so malnourished. Raw sewage piles up daily, adding to the sickness, and hospitals simply cannot cope. Human beings should have to live like this. It is truly horrific.

The tragedy is that the world media has moved on and people are living in the rubble of their former lives, in utter despair and sheer bewilderment at the inability of the world to bring an end to their plight.

Tuesday’s Child also visited many areas where there was considerable loss of life. “This was not a war, said Ms Sheehan, “it was a civilian massacre, a genocide, in which lives, homes, schools, hospitals, places of worship, whole communities and even animals, were completely obliterated. Operation Cast Lead was not a war against Hamas, it was an assault on all of humanity”. Asked if she had any fear of returning to Gaza, Ms Sheehan said, “there is nothing to fear in Gaza, the only fear is the inability of the people here to recover from this trauma”.

What is most tragic, is the increasing division between the people of Palestine and, the increasing persecutions by local militia. In this, Israel has achieved their aim. Palestinian people should be uniting in their suffering and a new all-embracing political structure is needed. Ultimately, the borders must open – it is the only solution.

You can follow Tuesday’s Child 14 day trip through the Gaza strip on their daily blog on the home page of the website at www.tuesdayschild.org.uk

Tuesday’s Child donates 100 percent of proceeds.

For further details please contact Orla Sheehan on 07813 834045 or email orla.sheehan@btinternet.com or the charity email info@tuesdayschild.org.uk

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