26 Nov 2012

GAZA / AFTERMATH

Maintenance crews, together with the local communities in Gaza, worked into the evening hours from Friday to prepare schools to receive students after the 10 day conflict. UNRWA

Posted at: November 26, 2012 2:14 pm

Duration: 01:53

Available in: SD

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STORY: GAZA / AFTERMATH
TRT: 1.53
SOURCE: UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: 26, 25 NOVEMBER 2012, GAZA, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (OPT)

SHOTLIST:

26 NOVEMBER 2012, UNRWA JABALIYA BOYS SCHOOL IN NORTHERN GAZA, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES (OPT)

1. Tilt down, from door ceiling showing damage to man working on classroom door
2. Various shots, men working inside of classroom
3. Med shot, man working on door
4. Med shot, men covering broken window with plastic a sheet
5. Various shots, a man fixing a pipe on building terrace

25 NOVEMBER 2012, UNRWA OFFICES IN JABALIYA, NORTHERN GAZA, OPT

6. Pan right, view of Gaza
7. Various shots, men clearing rubble
8.  Various shots, workers repairing doors and interior windows
9. Various shots, man painting door
10. Zoom out, from UNRWA offices door to hallway
11. Zoom out., view of destruction and rubble

STORYLINE:

Maintenance crews, together with the local communities in Gaza, worked into the evening hours from Friday (23 November) to prepare schools to receive students after the ten-day conflict.

Unsafe areas, too significant for quick cleanup, were cordoned off and will remain that way until they can be repaired.

While minor repairs were also completed, too many schools remain in need of replacements to windows that were blown out in collateral damage. While the majority of general cleanup was completed before students arrived on Saturday (24 November), some cleaning continued, including the disposal of glass from destroyed windows. Sandy areas in some schools are proving particularly difficult and require further attention.

Meanwhile five teams of engineers assessed 58 UNRWA installations to determine the degree of damage caused during the hostilities. Major damage was identified at 18 schools, two health centres, one distribution centre, and two offices; minor damage has been identified at 28 schools, two health centres, and five offices.

Repair works are underway for installations with minor damages. This includes the temporary use of plastic sheeting to cover damaged windows and the repair of doors broken due to the force of blasts.

Yesterday alone, emergency teams visited 130 affected refugee families to determine required assistance and to provide interim relief following the hostilities. As a result, UNRWA distributed plastic sheets and tarpaulin to approximately 70 families.

Of UNRWA's 245 schools in the Gaza Strip, 243 opened on Saturday, allowing approximately 223,000 Palestine refugee children to resume a normal schedule. Children were excited to return to school after having missed school and staying indoors at home for more than a week.

All UNRWA schools have been thoroughly checked for shrapnel, stray bullets from celebratory gunfire, and any explosive remnants. UN Mine Action has conducted an assessment at four UNRWA schools to ensure some of the most damaged are free of explosive remnants of war that may have landed within school compounds during attacks on nearby targets.

UNRWA is working in collaboration with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the humanitarian cluster system to assess needs that have arisen from the violence, with UNRWA focusing on the refugee situation. In particular, UNRWA is working with partners to assess the impact of the violence on food security, availability of shelter and non-food items, and mental health and psychosocial needs.