The level of destruction in Gaza is such that the UN estimates that it will take fifteen years to clear the territory. Thousands of homes have been flattened by shelling and demolitions by the Israeli army, as well as by Hamas rockets. 37 million tons of ruins have been generated.
The head of the UN Mine Action Program, Pehr Lodhammar, made these forecasts this Friday to show the existing catastrophe in the Strip, where 65% of all collapsed buildings were residential. This means that more than a million Palestinians now lack a home to return to. There are real mountains of rubble. The United Nations determines that each square meter holds at least 300 kilos, but the most serious thing is that numerous unexploded projectiles are hidden among the rubble. Lodhammar noted yesterday that at least 10% of the artillery ammunition, grenades and anti-tank rockets launched by the Israelis and Hamas militias remain intact and pose a risk to civilians and rescuers.
There will be no sanction
On the other hand, the Israel Defense Forces reported yesterday that the Netzah Yehuda Battalion will not finally be sanctioned by the United States, according to an ABC News report collected by ‘The Times of Israel’. The US Administration has been studying this option for weeks to punish the infractions of this brigade made up of ultra-Orthodox and young people from the settler environment whose history is marked by accusations of abuse, mistreatment and even extrajudicial crimes.
The unique thing about the case is that Washington declines to sanction these soldiers although it recognizes that the battalion committed “serious human rights violations” against Palestinians in the West Bank during the past decade. The decision appears to have been influenced by the recent approval this week of an allocation of $17 billion in military aid to Israel. If this brigade had been punished, it would not have been able to receive any of that package, with the risk of generating delays or management problems with the aid.
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