Mustafa Discusses Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza and Early Recovery Programs with Fletcher

SadaNews - Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa discussed today, Wednesday, via video conference, the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip with Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The meeting was attended by Minister of Social Development Samah Hamad and Ambassador Izzat Abdul Hadi.

The Prime Minister emphasized the urgent need to ensure the delivery of humanitarian and relief assistance to the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of implementing early recovery programs to bolster the resilience of citizens and support the rehabilitation of essential services.

Mustafa reviewed the government's efforts to continue providing services to our people in Gaza, especially in the health and education sectors, including the high school exams that around 38,000 male and female students are taking this year, confirming the government’s support for every coordinated international effort aimed at alleviating the suffering of citizens.

For his part, Fletcher affirmed the interest of UN organizations in early recovery efforts in Gaza and the continued cooperation with the Palestinian government, noting the work on a project to address wastewater treatment in the sector.

Fletcher praised the government's efforts in managing humanitarian response and coordinating with international partners, in addition to its success in conducting local elections, which reflects a commitment to entrench the democratic path and strengthen local governance institutions, despite the challenges and difficult circumstances faced by the Palestinian people.

The two sides also discussed the difficult humanitarian and economic conditions in the West Bank, including the repercussions of withholding Palestinian tax revenues, the assaults of the occupation, and settler terrorism, as well as the conditions of the displaced from the camps in northern West Bank, and the efforts underway to improve their situations, especially in housing, health, and education.

The Prime Minister called on the United Nations and donor countries to assume their responsibilities and continue their support for the Palestinian people, and the two sides agreed to continue coordination and consultations, especially with the upcoming donors' conference in Brussels.