A/HRC/10/22
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34. For the Gazan economy to revive (offering opportunities to people to pull themselves out
of poverty), all Gaza entry points must be opened to ensure freedom of movement for all, the
free inflow of industrial and agricultural inputs and cash and the export of products from Gaza.24
There is also an urgent need to ensure that there are sufficient quantities of fuel, spare parts for
damaged infrastructure (such as the power plant) as well as cement, sand and other construction
materials.
35. Recovery will also require that Palestinians be provided with income-generating and work
opportunities, including access to work in Israel. Furthermore, Palestinians require access to
education at all levels, and students and professionals, such as doctors and teachers, must be able
to receive education abroad. Special attention must also be paid to people who have been
seriously wounded or disabled; they must be provided with rehabilitation services and have the
means to live a dignified life and enjoy an adequate standard of living.
36. In addition to the above-mentioned measures, the independent expert stresses that, to
improve the lives of those living in poverty, psychosocial support for those in need, in particular
children, is urgently needed. The rights of the victims of human rights violations to have access
to remedy and reparations must also be respected.
B. Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the
right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to
non-discrimination in this context
37. Disregard for the right to adequate housing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory far
predates the recent military offensive. Overcrowding, lack of sanitation and other difficult living
conditions have been not only the result of demolitions and destruction of homes in the present
and previous military offensives, but a permanent urban condition that prevents the people of
Gaza from having access to the acceptable minimal standards of adequate housing.
38. The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing has received reports from numerous sources
concerning the extensive destruction of homes and civilian property during the Israeli military
offensive in Gaza from 27 December 2008 to 24 January 2009. Initial estimates indicate that
more than 4,240 residences were destroyed and 44,306 were damaged, most of them rendered
uninhabitable without considerable rehabilitation.25 An estimated 2.6 per cent of homes in Gaza
24
On 12 February, a single truck with nearly 50,000 flowers was reportedly allowed to cross out
of Gaza through Kerem Shalom for export. According to the same source, it was the first time
since 18 January 2008 that Israel had allowed any exports from Gaza; however, it remains
unclear as to whether further exports will be allowed. The Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs reported that, on 6 February, Israel allowed, for the first time since
mid-December 2008, the transfer of NIS 170 million ($42 million) from banks in the West Bank
to banks in the Gaza Strip. The new supply would enable the Palestinian Authority to pay the
salaries of some 70,000 Gaza-based employees. The Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs, Situation Report, No. 21, February 2009.
25
Rapid Shelter/NFI assessment, 11 February 2009.
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