Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Ramallah, January 24.- Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the network of Palestinian NGOs in the Gaza Strip, accused Israel today of taking advantage of the current truce in the territory to expand its control there.
The activist noted that at the beginning of the ceasefire on October 10 of last year, the military controlled 53 percent of the region, but that figure has now increased to 60 percent.
The expansion includes large residential areas, from the southern city of Rafah to Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun in the north, as well as eastern areas of Gaza City, where military operations of destruction and expansion continue, he reported.
Al-Shawa explained that the armed forces of the neighboring country used the truce to extend into Palestinian residential areas in the coastal enclave.
More than 2.2 million people live in an area that does not exceed 90 square kilometers, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the territory, he stressed.
In this regard, he stated that 90 percent of Gazans depend on international aid for their daily survival.
He also criticized the systematic destruction of infrastructure, especially sewage and water networks, as well as the Israeli blockade that prevents access to the materials necessary to rehabilitate the region.
In this sense, he warned that about 900,000 tons of waste are spread across Gaza, creating a serious health and environmental situation. (Text and photo: PL)
