TOMS donation warms the feet of Gaza children

Following a generous donation from TOMS of approximately 100,000 pairs of shoes, UNRWA was able to distribute them to the needy children in its schools. 

During March UNRWA continues to distribute shoes to eligible children in its schools all across the Gaza Strip. Today, hundreds of boys at UNRWA New Gaza Elementary Boys School in Gaza City were queuing to receive their own pair. Many families in Gaza live on less than US$ 1.53 per person per day and lack the means to meet their basic food needs and living requirements. 

Receiving shoes for their children allows families to free some resources to meet other essential needs.

Hamas denounces Charlie Hebdo's new edition

(dpa) - Hamas, the Islamist movement in control of the Gaza Strip, has denounced the cartoon of a weeping prophet Mohammed in the first edition of Charlie Hebdo after the deadly attack by Muslim extremists at the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine.

The Palestinian group‘s official newspaper, Felesteen, Thursday said that insulting the prophet is not warrented by freedom of expression.

It published a cartoon showing a hand making a stop sign opposite another hand with a paintbrush resembling the devil. The first hand appears with the slogan "Anything but the Prophet," and the one with the brush reads "Freedom of speech."

Charlie Hebdo‘s first issue after the attack on Wednesday featured a crying cartoon of the prophet holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign under the headline: "All is forgiven."

Senior Hamas leader Izzat Risheq said the decision to publish that cartoon "poured oil on the fire."

Report: Abbas 'Willing' to Give Israel a Break on ICC

A Lebanese newspaper reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi that the Palestine would not file a case against Israel in the International Criminal Court if negotiations resumed “in the coming weeks.”
According to the report in the Al-Ahabar newspaper, Abbas made the comments to Sisi during their meeting in Cairo Wednesday.

Several weeks ago, State of Palestine formally requested
membership in the ICC. Last week, Palestine recognized the ICC's jurisdiction to investigate Israeli war crimes committed during last summer's Gaza war. The ICC can prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since July 1, 2002.

Israel police kill Palestinians in W. Bank and Negev

Israeli police have killed an Arab Israeli man during clashes with stone-throwing Bedouin protesters in the southern Negev region, sparking anger with the Arab communities in the area, an Arab Israeli lawmaker said.

"We, the Palestinians in Negev, have lost another man. This is another sign that the Israeli police are dealing recklessly when it comes to our lives," MP Taleb el-Sana told The Anadolu Agency.

According to al-Sana, Sami al-Jaar, 20, was killed late Wednesday during clashes between Arab protesters and Israeli police in the Negev city of Rahat.

"They could have captured him rather of killing him. Now, the whole Negev is boiling with anger," he added.

In a statement, the Israeli police said that two policemen were injured in clashes with stone-throwing individuals in Rahat, asserting that its personnel were in the city to pursue criminals.

Israel refers to Palestinians who remained in their homes and cities after the creation of Israel in 1948 as "Arab Israelis."

There are around 1.6 million Arabs in Israel, accounting for around 20 percent of the country's population, according to official Israeli figures.

Claiming that most land in the Negev Desert is "state property," the self-proclaimed Jewish state has repeatedly demolished Bedouin homes in the area.

Palestinian Deficit Heading to $2Bn, Says PA Insider

The cost of reconstructing Gaza is taking its toll on the Palestinian Authority's budget.

The Palestinian Authority (P.A.) is likely to face a US$2 billion deficit in 2015, a Palestinian official warned Wednesday.

Although financial contributions from the United States and the European Union have been sinking for two years, according to an anonymous official who spoke to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, Gazan reconstruction costs are also largely to blame for the P.A.'s financial shortfall.

An estimated US$7.8 billion is needed for Gaza to recover from Israel's assault in 2014.

Over 2000 Gazans were killed during the fighting, which left hundreds of homes and businesses in ruins, and public infrastructure decimated.

Palestine's economy minister Mohammad Mustafa has stated donor countries need to boost aid to the P.A.

“Starting from next year, the Palestinian budget will need additional external support worth US$1.3 billion to fulfill its obligations to the citizens,” he stated in October, according to the Middle East Monitor.

In 2012, a funding shortfall left the P.A. unable to pay public worker salaries. Palestinian officials blamed the shortfall on a handful of donors failing to fulfill financial pledges.

On Wednesday, Iraq pledged a new US$28.7 million to the P.A., according to Palestine's official WAFA news agency.

“Iraq has taken this step despite the dire circumstances it has been undergoing, especially those related to the approval of the new Iraqi budget,” WAFA quoted Iraq's Arab League representative Diya Dabbas.

Qatar has also handed the P.A. US$25 million in aid this week.

Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian at Gush Etzion

Israeli forces opened fire at two Palestinians near the Gush Etzion Junction between Bethlehem and Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, killing one.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Ma'an that two Palestinians "were involved in a criminal incident" in the area, and one was shot by Israeli soldiers after he attempted to flee the area.

The man was "injured seriously and died in the evening," he told Ma'an, adding that the other was arrested.

Israeli news website Israel National News, which is known for its right-wing leanings, said that incident occurred as the 30-year-old victim was "attempting to steal a car in the parking lot of the Rami Levy supermarket branch" in the area.

The supermarket, while located inside the Jewish-only settlement, is located immediately beside the junction and is thus open to Palestinians as well.

The Israeli news site said that military police had launched an investigation into the incident.

Gaza destruction by Israel "beyond expected": Palestinian minister

The amount of destruction in the Gaza Strip is "beyond expected," said Palestinian housing minister Moufeed Al-Hassaina in a recent interview with China Central Television.

"We wish that we could just comfort the people of Gaza, saying that everything will be great, but we should be realistic, the amount of destruction in the Gaza Strip is beyond expected, but we're doing our best to push the international community into
taking its responsibilities towards helping the reconstruction of Gaza as soon as possible," Al-Hassaina told CCTV.

Israel and Palestine agreed to an open-ended truce last Tuesday after seven weeks of violence.

An estimated 18,000 housing units have been either destroyed or severely damaged, leaving more than 108,000 people homeless, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

A humanitarian group called "Shelter Cluster" - co-chaired by the UN and Red Cross - says reconstruction will take 20 years and will cost more than 6 billion U.S. dollars.

In its latest report, the Palestinian militant group Hamas says around 17,000 Gaza housing units were destroyed or severely damaged by Israel's "Operation Protective Edge."

Walking around the Gaza Strip, one can see scenes of destruction almost everywhere. Trucks and derricks are removing the rubble to clear streets. Residents are coming to terms with how long it will take for life to return to normal.

But the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt on Gaza after Hamas took power in 2007 will slow down this process.

Israel restricts building materials such as concrete from entering Gaza, fearing they will fall into the hands of militants who will use them to build tunnels for cross-border attacks.

Analysts say a full cooperation agreement between the Palestinian Unity government on one side and Israel andEgypt on the other will be necessary for reconstruction efforts to succeed.

More than 2,000 Palestinians were killed and 10,000 injured since July 8 when Israel launched offensives in a bid to stamp out cross-border rocket fired from Hamas-ruled Gaza. On the Israeli side, five civilians and 64 soldiers have been killed.