The Director holds meetings in Israel and the Gaza Strip, 30th October - 03rd November 2014

Oliver McTernan travelled to Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip for meetings with senior politicians, academics and members of civil society to discuss how the situation in the region was developing two months on from the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge. Oliver spent much of his time within Gaza on this visit, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Palestinians in Gaza following the summer's conflict.On the surface Gaza appears calm, but  Oliver was informed that the situation remains unpredictable due to mounting pressures created by the lack of progress in addressing the post conflict conditions. Currently, it is estimated that over  80,000  homes in Gaza are in urgent need of  repair. Thousands of families are still in temporary overcrowded accommodation which has given rise to social tensions and inter family violence. Although the sale of construction materials to residents whose dwellings were damaged has recently begun, many regard the process as frustratingly  slow. People complain that they have been allowed to buy only two bags of cement ( around 100 kilograms) whereas it is estimated on average that they need at least four tons to repair the scale of  damage to their homes.  Furthermore, there is an urgent need to address the collapse of the basic infrastructure - electricity, sewage and drinking water. With the approach of winter, Oliver was told that there is a growing risk of widespread epidemics among the population.Local economists claim there is a need for at least 400 trucks of equipment - from concrete to building materials and machinery - every day for the next six months to respond to these challenges, but to date Gaza is only receiving 75 trucks.  With Gaza effectively cut off from the outside world with the indefinite closure of the Rafah crossing,  thousands of students, the sick and business people  are stranded, thus adding to internal tensions. The internal economy is at near collapse with the restrictions on exports and imports.In light of these challenges, Oliver was warned that unless a sense of hope is provided soon, the mounting tensions within Gaza will eventually erupt.