Palestinians skeptical of humanitarian efforts in Gaza
Israel and the United States have indicated that they seek to ease the blockade on Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave, but Palestinians question their real intent.
Israel has made several statements promising to ease the stifling living conditions in the Gaza Strip. On May 18, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that White House special adviser Jared Kushner and US peace envoy Jason Greenblatt are expected to hold talks in the region this week. They will most probably be calling on Gulf states to inject around $500 million in the Gaza Strip to improve the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the besieged enclave.
In an interview with Israeli Walla news website on June 13, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov warned of another war in Gaza, stressing the dire need for urgent actions to prevent any “destructive” military conflict.
He stressed the need for improving the water and electricity situation in cash-strapped Gaza, calling for a new plan aimed at creating new jobs and developing trade and economy.
Meanwhile, on June 7 at the International Conference in Support of the Intifada, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, expressed his movement’s readiness to deal positively with any real initiative to end the decadelong Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
