A General Appeal Oct. 15th, 2003Dear Madam/Sir,
Given the latest escalation of the Israeli violence and aggression against the Palestinian People everywhere and in particular what is happening to the Rafah People, we take this opportunity to appeal to you for immediate action.
Being part of the International Donor community, you are well aware of the serious effort, energy, and financial and human resources that have been invested in the occupied Palestinian Territory throughout the past seven years. Your contributions to the Palestine National Authority have been instrumental to the development process in the occupied Palestinian Territory. With your generous aid, we were able to begin, from scratch, building the infrastructure and institutions of the emerging Independent Palestinian State.
For the past week, Rafah city has been under severe closure and continuous aggression. Israeli tanks and buldozers have gone deep into the city, killing 11 people and injuring 70, some of whom are very serious. More than 300 families were left without shelter following the complete destruction of 120 houses and partial destruction of 80 houses. Agricultural land and greenhouses were also bulldozed. Roads, water and wastewater networks were destroyed. There is also a humanitarian crisis, where food, water, milk and medical supplies are not available in the city, as it has been isolated from the rest of the Gaza Strip for more than a week. Please see the attached photos.
With these latest and dangerous developments in mind, we appeal to you to save and protect what is left of Rafah City and its infrastructure. We view the current situation with grave concern and we are certain that you share the same view. We appeal to help alleviate the suffering of the Rafah People, and to help restore the destroyed infrastructure as soon as you can.
We trust that you will take the appropriate measures to ensure that the latest Israeli aggressive actions against the Palestinian People cease and desist.
Best Regards,
Dr. Emad S. Sha'at
Deputy Mayor
Rafah City
Mobile 059 411 850
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
Rafah Destruction, October 12, 2003 (Rafah Municipality)
