As Egypt prepares to host an international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh (starting 2 March) the ICRC warns that emergency aid and reconstruction will not be enough to resolve the crisis in Gaza unless there is a prospect of a lasting peace.


More than a month after the end of the conflict, tens of thousands have had their homes partially or completely destroyed and thousands still remain without access to water.

The damage from the January conflict comes on top of Israeli restrictions on the movement of goods and people into Gaza.

Most materials essential for rebuilding and restoring the economy are unavailable.

In turn, the numbers of people in Gaza without jobs and a regular income has risen sharply.

Poverty rates already stood at 70 percent before the conflict, and many are now left struggling to cover basic costs.

What is needed, the ICRC says, is sustainable economic development.

Emergency assistance will not suffice.

Gazans need machinery and spare parts.

As a first step, the ICRC is calling for an end to Gaza's isolation, and a lifting of restrictions on the movement of people and goods.



Story Since the conflict ended five weeks ago, normal life is starting to return in the Gaza Strip.

The schools have reopened, the debris is being cleared away and some supplies are again available for sale in the shops and markets.

But the damage from the bombings has wiped out much of the industrial sector of the Gazan economy.

Amr Hamad, the Executive Manager of the Palestinian Federation of Industries says the latest conflict "left more than 270 industrial establishments totally or partially damaged." According to Hamad, more than 35 thousand employees have lost their jobs in the industrial sector, but despite this, he remains optimistic for the future: "We assure everybody if the borders are opened, in one year we can again rebuild the whole of the Gaza Strip." Tayseer Abu Eida, owned a concrete factory which it is estimated will cost around 15 million dollars to rebuild.

Most of the 100 people who worked there are now unemployed.

In Gaza City, the shops are again open for business but there are still shortages and prices for basics have sky-rocketed.

Oussama Boustan managed to open his supermarket for brief periods during the war even though there was very little for sale.

But now the conflict is over, Boustan says, " the crossings should be open to the outside world so that we could have cement and steel brought in, jobs could be found and then there would be work." Salah Ahmed Saleh is a pharmacist.

He has five children and until the January conflict lived in a house with 14 members of his family.

His home was destroyed during the conflict and he wonders if it will ever be possible to resume a normal life.

"Our situation goes from bad to worse," he says.

"There is an embargo.

The ingredients of a good life do not exist either for an individual, a child or a family." Date, location: Gaza, Feb 18-21 Production: Jan Powell, Arwa Muhana Camera: Ibrahim Al Otla Sound: Arabic and English Copyright: ICRC - Access all Length: 5'53"


Shotlist 00:00 Gaza City, two school girls walking along the road, rubble in background 00:05 street scene, school children walking 00:10 various shots of wreckage at the concrete factory in the Ezbet Abd Rabou area, north of Gaza City 00:34 Tayseer Abu Eida, the owner of the concrete factory walking around the site 00:42 Interview with Tayseer Abu Eida, the owner of the factory (Arabic) "When the war ended we went to the area where the factory is and unfortunately we found a big disaster - no factory, no car, no house, nothing.

We were shocked at what we saw.

Then we started asking ourselve , for what reason, what motives pushed them to carry out such destruction? When I went inside the factory I thought the value of damage would range between ten and twelve million dollars but experts who came to the area, estimated that the damage done to my factory will cost at least 15 million." 01:16 ICRC vehicle arriving at a cement packing factory, Shijaiya area, east of Gaza City.

01:22 various shots of the wrecked cement packing factory.

01:34 Interview with Amr Hamad, the executive manager of the Palestinian Federation of Industries (English)

"The latest Israeli incursion into Gaza has left more than 270 industrial establishments like this one totally or partially damaged.

The private sector actually is the cream of the Gaza economy.

It used to feed more than one third of the Palestinian population here in the Gaza strip.

Actually more than 35 thousand employees have lost their jobs in the industrial sector." 02:06 wide shot of the factory wreckage 02:11 Iv Amr Hamad, the executive manager of the Palestinian Federation of Industries "I'm not very optimistic but still I know that the Gazan population is very stubborn.

The business community, they are very keen to stick here on the ground and rebuild those factories.

As you see now the owner of this factory is trying his level best with the minimum resources available to rebuild his factory.

We again assure everybody if the borders are opened, the crossings are opened in one year we can rebuild the whole of the Gaza Strip." 02:41 various shots of people working on the site of the factory 03:01 long shot of car travelling down a road in Gaza 03:07 Supermarket in the Assaftawi area in Gaza City.

Oussama Bourstan, the owner of the supermarket behind the counter, serving customers 03:19 Interview with Oussama Boustaan, the owner of the supermarket (Arabic) "People do not have money, the worker, the man who had his house demolished, the ordinary citizen, they don't have any money to come and buy.

There is no work, there is no income.

Where are they supposed to find this work? If they want to find a job, the crossings should be open to the outside world so that we could have cement and steel brought in, then jobs could be found and then there would be work." 03:52 close up boy and girl in the supermarket 03:59 wide shot of the supermarket interior 04:09 ICRC vehicle driving 04:16 shots of destroyed buildings 04:27 The family of Saleh Ahmed Salad, a pharmacist walking through their very badly damaged house 04:52 Interview with Saleh Ahmed Salad (Arabic) "The most important thing is security.

There is an embargo, The ingredients of a good life do not exist either for an individual, a child or a family.

We do not have the bare minimum of these necessities- like for instance water, like cooking gas for cooking food, even the means of transport is not back to normal - nothing is normal.

Indeed the whole world should be held responsible.

Our situation goes from bad to worse." 05:28 Saleh Ahmed Salad picks up a story-book for his daughter 05:43 medium close-up little girl 05:47 the family stand on a terrace outside the house and look across a field at badly damaged houses close-by 05:55 ends
For information on footage and FTP access, contact Jan Powell, ICRC Geneva,
tel: +41 22 730 2511 or mobile +41 79 251 9314

For further information, please contact:
Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 25 90 or +41 79 251 93 18
Iyad Nasr, ICRC Gaza, tel: +972 59 960 30 15 (Arabic)
Yael Segev-Eytan, ICRC Tel Aviv, tel: +972 3 524 52 86 or +972 52 275 75 17 (Hebrew)
Nadia Dibsy, ICRC Jerusalem, tel: +972 5917900 or +972 52 601 91 48


See also ICRC media contacts

This article on www.icrc.org