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A large-scale study shows the state of the churches in North Macedonia

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Last week, a study by the international organization “ICOMOS Macedonia” was presented in North Macedonia, dedicated to the state of churches and monasteries in the country. The study of 707 churches by experts is within the framework of the project “Monitoring the Orthodox Cultural Heritage”. It has shown the current state of all the temples, the risks they face, specific advice for overcoming the problems has been identified.

“Monitoring of the Orthodox Cultural Heritage” is a project implemented by the National Committee of the International Council for Monuments and Sites ICOMOS Macedonia. It is an extensive project aimed at monitoring and assessing the state of preservation, conservation and protection of immovable Orthodox cultural heritage in St. Macedonia and is fully supported by the US State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center as part of its Community Heritage Documentation Initiative. The project is implemented in partnership with the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archdiocese.

In the past year, expert teams of this organization visited and assessed the condition of church buildings in all eight dioceses in the country, and for each building a detailed report was published on where it is located, when and by whom it was built, as well as in what condition it is in.

For example, for the temple “St. Andrei” near Matka (14th century) is said to be threatened by the flow of water inside: “On its western side, the church borders the mountain slope, which is in close proximity to the building. When it rains, water flows inside the building, creating problems related to capillary damp in the interior itself… Due to the presence of moisture and inadequate furnishings, there is a risk of damage to the interior.”

For the country’s most famous church, Hagia Sophia in Ohrid, the report says that the building is being damaged by vegetation that is not being removed: “The wooden brackets of the exonarthex are visibly damaged, there are parts of the joints that have been damaged on all sides of the church, there is vegetation on the walls and roof.”

About the monastery “St. Naum” experts warn the chairs placed in the nave for believers not to touch the frescoes because they destroy them. “It is necessary to separate the chairs from the murals and, if possible, remove certain chairs. The metal (sheet metal) canopy should also be removed and a more suitable solution found for the candle-lighting area,” the recommendation reads.

The famous church “St. John the Theologian Kaneo” on the shore of Lake Ohrid is warned of a damaged installation: “The interior has outdated electrical installation and lighting, as well as inappropriate brackets above the west entrance of the church.”

Experts recommend lighting candles inside the monastery “St. Joakim Osogovski” in Kriva palanka to be banned, by setting aside places for this purpose outside the church with the wall paintings.

A special warning was issued for the Skopje church “St. Dimitar”, north of the Vardar River, near the Stone Bridge. “On the north wall, in the central upper area, in the opening where the fan is placed, water is seen pouring in, which is having a damaging effect on the frescoes. There is slight damage to the capitals of the columns in the gallery. There is an intertwining of internal exposed installations, electrical, heating, cooling, and a possible fire hazard,” the report for this church building warns.

About the famous monastery “St. Gavriil Lesnovski” writes that the painting in the higher parts of the temple, i.e. in the nave directly under the dome space of the vaults, is almost completely irretrievably lost. “If the roof leaks, which are the main problem, are not stopped, there is a threat of the loss of other parts of the mural and the possible total loss of the murals or at least serious damage,” the post said.

In the monastery “St. Panteleimon” in Gorno Nerezi near Skopje, the four facade walls of the church show black vertical traces of lichen caused by the pouring of rainwater from the lead gutters, experts warn.

ICOMOS Macedonia is a multi-expert organization and is part of the Paris-based ICOMOS International Committee, which is the world’s largest expert non-governmental organization in the field of cultural heritage conservation.

The National Committee of the International Council for Monuments and Sites ICOMOS in Macedonia (abbreviated as ICOMOS Macedonia) is a member of the International Council for Monuments and Sites ICOMOS based in Paris. ICOMOS is the world’s largest professional non-governmental organization in the field of protection and conservation of cultural heritage. The focus of interest of ICOMOS is the promotion of the application of theory, methodology and scientific techniques for the conservation of architectural and archaeological heritage. Worldwide, ICOMOS counts close to 11,000 individual members in 151 countries; 300 institutional members; 110 national committees (including ICOMOS Macedonia) and there are 28 international scientific committees. More about ICOMOS Macedonia on the official website.

Photography: Monastery of St. Petka’ – Velgoshti/Ohrid, North Macedonia

Christian Presence in Peril, Displacement and Harassment in the Holy Land

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Christian Presence in Peril: Displacement and Harassment in the Holy Land
Church of Saint Porphyrius in 2022, before the Israeli airstrike - By Dan Palraz - CC BY-SA 4.0,

Christian presence in peril, the majority of people of northern Gaza have been displaced as well as Christians, whose installations have also been targeted.

As the Israeli military advances further into Gaza City to eliminate Hamas, concerns are rising about the potential disappearance of Christians in the area amid a growing exodus of Gazans fleeing the northern territory, where innocent civilians have endured continuous Israeli bombardment for over a month.

Nashat Filmon, director of the Palestinian Bible Society, which serves Palestinians in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, recently informed Premier Christian News that the majority of people in northern Gaza have experienced displacement and that Christians, whose facilities have also been targeted, have found no safe refuge.

The Britain-based website, which reports internationally on news about issues affecting Christians, quoted Filmon in a November 10 article as saying that the Palestinian Bible Society “lost office space” and that two staff members are recovering from injuries sustained in an October 19 Israeli air strike on the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City.

Hundreds of Palestinians of various faiths had taken refuge in the church, and 16 Palestinian Christians were among 18 people killed in the military strike.

“Their deaths made headlines across the globe,” the National Catholic Register stated in a November 15 article. However, the challenges faced by Gaza’s small Christian community have received limited attention, the article added, citing Israel’s intensified ground offensive in Gaza aimed at targeting Hamas fighters embedded in urban neighborhoods.

Gaza is currently home to some 1,100 Palestinian Christians, according to the Register article, which contained an interview with Samuel Tadros, a Middle East scholar who formerly was a senior fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. 

Asked how Palestinian Christians have been treated under the rule of Hamas in Gaza since the Islamist group came to power in 2007, Tadros replied that the community encounters institutional bias and  harassment, besides enduring attacks on its institutions and businesses.

“Throughout the Middle East, we’ve seen how these Islamist movements treat Christians,” Tadros pointed out, adding: “They may not want to exterminate Christians completely, as the Islamic State sought to do, but even the most ‘moderate’ Islamist governments view non-Muslims living in Muslim-majority lands as second-class subjects and not as equal citizens.”  

As Christians continue to leave Gaza, taking advantage of a U.S.-brokered deal that permits daily four-hour pauses in the war to enable civilians to escape, there are concerns “whether, in the long term, there will be any Christian community left,” said Tadros, a Coptic Christian who is the author of the 2013 bookMotherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity.

Filmon shares the same worry. “I pray that this place would never turn into a museum where you come and say, Oh, Christ lived here,” the Palestinian Bible Society’s director remarked, adding: “But he doesn’t have any followers. What a shame!”

Pollution: deal with Council to reduce industrial emissions

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Pollution: deal with Council to reduce industrial emissions
Photo de Marcin Jozwiak sur Unsplash

The new rules will reduce air, water and soil pollution, and steer large agro-industrial installations in the green transition.

Late on Tuesday night, negotiators from the Parliament and Council reached a provisional political agreement on the revision of the industrial emission directive (IED) and the directive on the landfill of waste and the new regulation on the Industrial Emissions Portal. The aim is to further combat air, water and soil pollution from large agro-industrial installations, which can also lead to health problems such as asthma, bronchitis and cancer.

Industrial installations

The new rules will make it mandatory to set the strictest achievable emissions levels and push industrial plants to focus more on energy, water and material efficiency and reuse, in addition to fostering the use of safer, less toxic or non-toxic chemicals in industrial processes, through emission or environmental performance targets. To combat water scarcity, environmental performance targets will become obligatory for water consumption. For waste, resource efficiency, energy efficiency and raw material use such targets will be within a range and for new techniques, targets will be indicative.

Co-legislators agreed to extend the IED also to cover extractive industry installations (mines) and large installations manufacturing batteries.

Livestock farms

Co-legislators agree to extend IED measures to pig farms with more than 350 livestock units (LSU). Farms raising pigs in an extensive or organic manner, and outside for a significant amount of time in a year, are excluded. For poultry, it would apply to farms with laying hens with more than 300 LSU and for farms with broilers with more than 280 LSU. For farms rearing both pigs and poultry, the limit will be 380 LSU.

The Commission originally proposed a threshold of 150 LSU for all livestock, including for cattle. Co-legislators agreed to task the Commission to review, by 31 December 2026, the need for EU action to address the emissions from the rearing of livestock, including from cattle, as well as a reciprocity clause to ensure producers outside the EU meet requirements similar to EU rules when exporting to the EU.

Public participation, penalties and sanctions

Negotiators also agreed to increase transparency and public participation in relation to the licensing, operation and control of regulated installations. The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register will be transformed into an EU Industrial Emissions Portal where citizens can access data on all EU permits and local polluting activities. In addition, systems for e-permitting should be in place at the latest by 2035.

Non-complying companies can face penalties of at least 3% of the operator’s annual EU turnover for the most serious infringements and member states shall give citizens affected by non-compliance the right to claim compensation for damages to their health.

Quote

After the vote, rapporteur Radan Kanev (EPP, Bulgaria), said: “I am happy about the overall outcome as Parliament defended the most important points in its mandate including significantly reducing emissions without creating further red tape for industries and farmers and as well as the level of penalties for non-complying companies.”

Next steps

The deal still has to be adopted by Parliament and Council, after which the new law will be published in the EU Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. Member states will then have 22 months to comply with this directive.

Background

The industrial emission directive lays down rules on preventing and controlling pollution from large agro-industrial installations’ emissions into air, water and soil as well as generation of waste, use of raw materials, energy efficiency, noise and prevention of accidents. Installations covered by the rules are required to operate in accordance with a permit addressing the entire environmental performance of the plant.

This legislation is responding to citizens’ expectations concerning the polluter pays principle and speeding up the green transition and promoting greener production processes as expressed in proposals 2(2), 3(1), 11(1) and 12(5) of the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Read more:

Reducing pollution in EU groundwater and surface waters

United Against Discrimination, Scientologist Calls Out Germany at European Parliament

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Ivan Arjona speaking at the European Parliament.
Ivan Arjona speaking at the European Parliament. Photo credit: www.bxl-media.com 2023

Speaking passionately last week at the European Parliament, Ivan Arjona, Scientology’s representative to European institutions, condemned worsening religious discrimination targeting his faith community specifically in Germany. He spoke at a conference bringing together Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Baha’is, Hindus and other minority faith leaders to discuss protecting their rights.

The event, titled “Fundamental Rights of Religious and Spiritual Minorities in the EU,” was hosted by French MEP Maxette Pirbakas and it convened leaders of diverse belief groups to share perspectives on challenges facing their communities across Europe.

In his hard-hitting remarks, Arjona revealed that in Germany, specifically in Bavaria, “to access a public job, [they] will ask you to sign a resignation from your religion.” Holding up documents, he showed that companies bidding on state contracts “need to sign a paper that [they] are not a Scientologist.”, even to clean bedsheets of hospitals or design city gardens. Already this year over 350 such discriminatory tenders have appeared in the EU transparency tenders website, as shown by Arjona at this meeting in the European Parliament.

He acknowledged that unlike current violent attacks against Jews and Muslims in Europe, present-day Scientologists do not face physical attacks, however, Arjona insisted that discriminating against any peaceful faith group contradicts EU principles of tolerance. “You would believe that after its history, a country like Germany, would not do this again, to ask people to resign from their religion… would you?” he asked pointedly.

In additional evidence of attempts to discourage interfaith solidarity, Arjona shared an example of a Jewish woman in Germany who runs a holocaust travelling exhibit, facing funding cuts simply for speaking at a Scientology event about shared values. Such retaliation for engagement between religions works against social cohesion, he warned, and the expecting living together in peace of citizens and religions.

Describing his own group’s efforts to assist Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other communities during the pandemic, Arjona explains that the Church of Scientology’s recognition as a religious community keeps growing including the latest recognition in Greece as a place of worship and in the Netherlands as a religious corporation of Public Benefit. He closed by praising examples of different religions supporting each other. “I believe we should all do the most possible efforts when state discrimination happens – stand by and say, you don’t discriminate me, you don’t discriminate them,” he appealed. Arjona called for a united stand against all policies dividing faith groups.

Old buses turned into a luxury hotel

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It costs just one dollar to ride a Singaporean bus, but $296 to sleep on it

Bus Collective is the first resort hotel in Southeast Asia to convert decommissioned public buses into luxury hotel rooms.

The project refurbished 20 buses that were once owned by SBS Transit, Singapore’s public transport operator, giving them a new purpose in the hospitality sector.

The resort hotel officially opens on December 1, and reservations are now available on its website.

The Bus Collective is located in Singapore’s Changi Village and is spread over an area of 8,600 sq m. The resort is close to attractions such as the Hawker Centre, Changi East Walk and Changi Chapel and Museum.

The complex offers seven different room categories, each with different amenities. Nightly rates start at S$398 ($296), and some of the rooms even have bathtubs and king-size beds.

Among the different room types, the Pioneer North room has handrails in the toilet and shower area, built to meet the needs of older guests, a representative of the resort told CNBC.

Each room covers 45 square meters and can accommodate three to four guests, according to the resort’s website. Although these retired buses have been completely refurbished, some features such as the steering wheel, driver’s seat and windows have been retained.

WTS Travel and partners wanted to show how tourism, nature and environmental protection can come together and be a “catalyst for creating unique and exciting new experiences,” Meeker Sia, managing director of WTS Travel, told CNBC.

Although The Bus Collective currently operates only in Singapore, Sia says the company may expand its reach in the future.

“We’re definitely open to exploring new opportunities for growth and innovation in the future, and we think the project has the potential to appeal to consumers elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Xia.

Alternatively, the Hamilton Place room is designed to be wheelchair accessible, equipped with an external accessible toilet and a ramp leading to the room entrance.

Photo: The Bus Collective

The European Union and the Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: Between Mediations and Obstacles

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white and black chess piece
Photo by Tamara Gak on Unsplash

The establishment of territorial sovereignty for each State in the world is a necessity, it is in this regard that Azerbaijan, by regaining control of Nagorno-Karabakh in September after a lightning offensive, can argue that it was seeking to restore its territorial sovereignty lost during the previous conflict. The reconquest could be seen as a legitimate response to the unacceptable status quo situation that had prevailed in the region for many years, and as a manifestation of the international right of each country to guarantee its territorial integrity. Regional stabilization is an essential element for Azerbaijan. The reconquest of Nagorno-Karabakh could be interpreted as an attempt to restore regional balance and put an end to a persistent source of tension. In this light, Azerbaijan could argue that a tough stance is necessary to ensure stability and security in the region.

Additionally, Azerbaijan’s recent decision to decline participation in normalization talks with Armenia, scheduled to take place in the United States in November, has heightened tensions. Azerbaijan invokes a “partial” position from Washington, thus highlighting the complexity of alliances in the region. Baku’s refusal to engage in negotiations is a direct response to the events of September 19, suggesting that the current situation requires tangible progress on the path to peace to restore normalization of relations.

 American Response and Risks of Loss of Mediation

The reaction of the US national security adviser, Mr. O’Brien, underlines the firm stance of the United States towards Azerbaijan after the events of September. The cancellation of high-level visits and condemnation of Baku’s actions highlight the United States’ determination to push for concrete progress toward peace. However, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry’s response, suggesting that this unilateral approach could cause the United States to lose its role as mediator, highlights the geopolitical risks inherent in this situation.

Involvement of the European Union and Multiple Obstacles

The rounds of negotiations between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, mediated by the European Union, reflect the complexity of the situation. However, Ilham Aliyev’s refusal to participate in negotiations in Spain citing France’s biased position raises questions about the EU’s ability to play a neutral mediation role. The initially planned presence of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, underlines the importance of European mediation.

Humanitarian Challenges and Prospects for a Peace Agreement

The territorial conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh, the massive population displacements, and the flight of more than 100,000 Armenians to Armenia highlight the major humanitarian challenges linked to the conflict. Nikol Pashinian, Armenian Prime Minister, reaffirms Yerevan’s desire to sign a peace agreement in the coming months, despite current difficulties. The leaders of the two former Soviet republics have raised the possibility of a comprehensive peace deal by the end of the year, but this will largely depend on the resolution of geopolitical obstacles and the willingness of all parties to agree. engage constructively in the negotiation process.

Priority to National Sovereignty

Azerbaijan’s attitude towards international mediations, including distrust towards mediation perceived as “biased” by France, can be interpreted as the protection of national sovereignty. This attitude may reflect the belief that crucial decisions related to conflict resolution should be made independently, thereby preserving national autonomy and avoiding harmful external interference.

The deep complexity of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The dynamics at play, shaped by passionate domestic reactions, diverse international interventions and complex regional implications, create an ever-changing geopolitical landscape. The humanitarian challenges resulting from the conflict, such as massive population displacements, highlight the urgency of concerted action.

It is clear that mediation in this sensitive region must adapt to a nuanced reality, taking into account deep national sensitivities, the requirements of international diplomacy and glaring humanitarian imperatives. The search for a lasting resolution requires a delicate balance between these various factors, and the obstacles to mediation highlight the need for a strategic and inclusive approach.

Ultimately, the quest for peace in Nagorno-Karabakh requires a comprehensive vision and the willingness of all parties involved to transcend differences, demonstrate flexibility and resolutely engage in constructive negotiations. The future of the region will depend on the ability of domestic and international actors to skillfully navigate these complexities to forge a path toward a lasting and peaceful resolution.

A Russian woman was arrested for a slice of red caviar on Red Square in front of the Kremlin

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A 41-year-old Russian woman was arrested in Moscow’s Red Square while filming an Instagram video of herself eating a “huge” red caviar sandwich.

Gulina Nauman and her friend filmed a video for Instagram, in which the Russian woman, dressed in a classic fur coat, drags a box of 14 kilograms of caviar on a trolley. The woman then sits down in front of the Kremlin walls, where she smears a huge slice of bread with red caviar, The Moscow Times reported.

Police officers nearby apparently found the two’s behavior suspicious and detained Gulina and the man with her. The two were questioned for three hours before being released without charge.

Nauman told news station MSK1.ru that her plan was to shoot a “retro-style” video in a restaurant in Moscow, but when she discovered the restaurant was closed, she decided to film the scene in Red Square instead.

“Apparently you’re not allowed to shoot that much caviar near the Kremlin,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “The situation in our country forbids you to be chic,” she adds.

Photo: Instagram

Zakharova: Dangerous fools, illiterate officials in Sofia disgrace the Bulgarian people

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It’s the reason why Lavrov’s plane did not fly over Bulgaria

The spokeswoman of the Russian MFA, Maria Zakharova, called the decision of the Bulgarian authorities to deny Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s plane from flying through the country’s airspace if she herself was on board “dangerous”.

“It is not just about stupidity, but about the dangerous stupidity of some intriguer in the power structures of Bulgaria. The fact is that the rules of air traffic are regulated by the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944. It prescribes the territory of the state should be understood as “land territories and adjacent to them except territorial waters.” Airspace is not included in the term “territory”. , which is prohibited from entering the territory of the state,” wrote Zakharova on the Telegram channel. According to her, for the first time in the whole country, the state authorities banned not a plane, but a person in the plane from being in the sky, because according to the note of the Bulgarian diplomatic department, the plane of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was allowed to fly over it.

“Did the Bulgarian officials think that such measures could be implemented in response to the thousands of NATO operatives who are on our mirror stop lists? Did they think about setting a dangerous world precedent in principle? I think not. in Sofia to disgrace the Bulgarian people? …We, by the way, are already in Skopje,” Zakharova added.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, to participate in the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The plane was flying through Greece, and before that the route was expected to pass through Bulgaria. As TASS has learned, the Bulgarian side has refused to let the plane of the Russian foreign minister go if Zakharova is on board.

The note from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, states in particular: “Permission to participate in the above-mentioned meeting in Skopje is granted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and his accompanying delegation in accordance with the note … The decision does not refers to the director of the information and press department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, who is on the list of sanctions, in accordance with EU legislation.”

The length of the ministerial plane’s route was about 4,000 km, the journey lasting more than five hours. Lavrov’s plane flew over Turkey and Greece on the way to North Macedonia.

Illustrative Photo by Lubov Tandit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-walking-on-concrete-road-with-mid-rise-buildings-under-clouded-sky-92412/

With Gaza truce on horizon, UN relief teams stand ready to ramp up aid

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With Gaza truce on horizon, UN relief teams stand ready to ramp up aid

According to media reports, ongoing negotiations over the Israel-Hamas agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause and the freeing of hostages held by the Palestinian armed group since its 7 October terror attacks indicated that the deal’s entry into force was believed to be unlikely before Friday.

Amid rising hunger, UN World Food Programme (WFP) chief Cindy McCain said that the agency was “rapidly mobilizing to scale up assistance inside Gaza” once safe access is granted. Her comments followed UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths’ statement on the Organisation’s readiness to increase the volume of aid brought into the enclave and distributed across the Strip.

Ms. McCain said that WFP trucks are “waiting at the Rafah crossing, loaded with food slated for families in shelters and homes across Gaza, and wheat flour for bakeries to resume operations”.

Latest UN humanitarian reports indicated that wheat flour is no longer available in markets in the north of Gaza and that no bakeries are functioning owing to a lack of fuel, water, flour and structural damage.

Hopes for a lifeline

Since limited aid deliveries through the Rafah crossing with Egypt resumed on 21 October, just over 73 truckloads of WFP food aid have made it into Gaza, falling far short of needs.

Ms. McCain expressed hope that more fuel will be let into the enclave “so that our trucks can carry in much-needed supplies and that once again bread will be available as a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of people every day”.

Some 75,000 litres of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt on Wednesday following an Israeli decision last week to allow the “daily entry of small amounts of fuel for essential humanitarian operations”, according to UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA.

The fuel is being distributed by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, to support food distribution and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services in the south of the Strip, as access to the north has been cut off by Israeli military operations. 

OCHA head and UN emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths said last week that some 200,000 litres of fuel per day were needed.

Hospital evacuation update

A new evacuation of 190 wounded and sick people, their companions and medical workers from Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City was completed on Wednesday.

The development was announced by UN health agency WHO as a joint effort between UN agencies and humanitarian partners led by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

The evacuees were transported in an ambulance convoy to the south.

OCHA quoted PRCS reports stating that the evacuation “lasted for almost 20 hours as the convoy was obstructed and subjected to inspection while passing through the checkpoint that separates northern and southern Gaza” and deploring the fact that the lives of patients had been endangered.

Evacuated dialysis patients were transferred to Abu Youssef An Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, while other patients were transported to the Strip’s European hospital in Khan Younis. An estimated 250 patients and staff are believed to be at Al-Shifa, which is no longer operational, OCHA said.

Meanwhile, Wednesday saw the lowest number yet of displaced people leaving northern Gaza to cross to the south using the “corridor” opened by the Israeli Defense Forces along the Strip’s main traffic artery, Salah Ad Deen Road.

According to OCHA monitoring only some 250 people moved south. The UN Office said that the decline is “largely attributed to the expectations generated by the humanitarian pause” which is yet to be implemented.

To date, over 1.7 million people in Gaza are internally displaced.

Life inside Gaza

Meanwhile, an UNRWA staff member who fled Gaza this week spoke to UN News about living and working during the conflict.

Maha Hijazi, UNRWA’s Warehousing and Distribution Officer, was responsible for securing food for hundreds of thousands of displaced people (IDPs) now sheltering in its facilities.

“Our plan…was to have 150,000 Palestinians IDPs inside UNRWA shelters which are now reaching about one million,” she said.

The UN and partners continue to appeal for more aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip, which continues to face dire shortages of food, water, fuel, medicines and other desperately needed items.

Full shelters, empty markets

Most UNRWA staff are themselves Palestine refugees and some have also sought refuge in its shelters while continuing their lifesaving work.  More than 100 of their colleagues have been killed to date.

Although Ms. Hijazi’s family were not staying in one of the shelters, she said her parents barely found food in the markets.

“We went to the markets, but it’s empty. We found nothing to purchase. We have money, but we have nothing to purchase,” she said. 

A mother’s decision

On Monday, Ms. Hijazi and her family fled Gaza for Egypt. She was angry and reluctant to leave her homeland, apartment and job.

“Neither my kids, nor any of our Palestinian kids feel safe, feel secure, and feel protected. The whole night and day they hear bombing everywhere,” she said.

Ms. Hijazi recalled that before going to bed, her children would ask her if they were going to die like their neighbours and relatives.

“I had to hug them and promise them that if we die, we will die altogether, so we won’t feel anything. And if you hear the bombing, then you are safe. The rocket that will kill you, you will not hear its sound,” she said.

Despite the pain of leaving of Gaza for Egypt, Ms. Hijazi felt this was the best decision for her children, who are dual nationals.

“I need to get this chance for them to sleep and to feel that they are similar to other kids,” she said.

“I can tell you that the whole trip I was crying with my kids because we don’t want to leave our land, we don’t want to leave Gaza. But we are forced to do that seeking safety and protection.”

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INTERVIEW: A humanitarian’s painful decision to leave her home and work in Gaza |

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INTERVIEW: A humanitarian's painful decision to leave her home and work in Gaza |

As UNRWA’s Warehousing and Distribution Officer, Maha Hijazi was responsible for securing food for hundreds of thousands of displaced people who have sought refuge in its shelters.

Mission impossible

“UNRWA teams in Gaza are working hard to provide all the basic needs for those people, and number one is security and safety,” she said.

“We are doing our best despite all the challenges, despite the limited resources, despite that there is no fuel. But we are on the ground doing an impossible mission to secure what we can secure for our people.”

Ms. Hijazi is also a mother and this week her family fled to Egypt because her children will be safe there.

She spoke to UN News about the painful decision to leave Gaza, her home and her job.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Maha Hijazi: Neither my kids nor any of our Palestinian kids feel safe, feel secure, and feel protected. The whole night and day they hear bombing everywhere and they have only one question:  What did we do wrong to deserve this life, and are we going to die today or tonight?

Every day they would ask me before we went to bed, ‘Mama, will we die tonight, similar to our neighbours, similar to our relatives?’ So I had to hug them and promise them that if we die, we will die together, so we won’t feel anything. And if you hear the bombing, then you are safe. The rocket that will kill you, you will not hear its sound. 

UN News: You fled Gaza on Monday for Egypt.  Tell us about the journey, especially as humanitarians have said that nowhere is safe in Gaza.

Maha Hijazi: I feel angry that I have to leave my homeland – to leave my home, my apartment, and also to leave my daily work supporting the refugees – but what else could I do for my children because they have dual nationality. I need to get this chance for them to sleep and to feel that they are similar to other kids. So, I don’t want to miss this opportunity despite all the pain inside.

I can tell you that the whole trip I was crying with my kids because we don’t want to leave our land, we don’t want to leave Gaza. But we were forced to do that seeking safety and protection. 

I actually lived in the middle of Gaza, in Deir al Balah, and the crossing is at Rafah in the south. Many people who were just evacuated were walking on Salahadin Street and they would have no place to go. We saw them and we witnessed the bombing during our trip until we reached the Rafah crossing which, by the way, not all Palestinian people are allowed to go through. You have to have another nationality or another passport. So, it was tough, and I will not forget this day.

UN News: What was your main task at UNRWA?

Maha Hijazi: My main task during the emergency, or during this war, was food focal point at the central operation room. So, I was responsible for securing the food items needed for the displaced people (IDPs) inside UNRWA shelters. Our plan was to have 150,000 Palestinians IDPs inside UNRWA shelters which are now reaching about one million. Their needs are very high and there is a lack of resources, so that’s why we’re working hard just to secure at least the minimum for them to survive.

UN News: How is UNRWA functioning, and where is it able to help Gazans?

Maha Hijazi: People are seeking UNRWA schools. They are seeking protection under the UN flag, and then we are responsible to provide them food and also non-food items, blankets, mattresses, in addition to drinking water and running water. 

UNRWA teams in Gaza are working hard to provide all the basic needs for those people, and number one is security and safety. Despite that, there is no safe place in Gaza, which is very true and very correct. But we are doing our best, despite all the challenges, despite the limited resources, despite that there is no fuel. But we are on the ground doing an impossible mission to secure what we can secure for our people.

UN News: Was UNRWA getting fuel when you were there? How about food and water? Are you getting the supplies you need?

Maha Hijazi: For the first days of escalation, we stopped receiving fuel. And after that we received like drops of fuel just to operate our vehicles. Recently, maybe four or five days ago, we were allowed to receive fuel, but it was a very minor quantity. I recall the last days that I was in Gaza we had the aid trucks at the Rafah crossing, but no fuel on the trucks, so the trucks were stuck for two days waiting to be refueled. The generators to provide electricity, also pumping water, sewage plants, everything needs fuel, in addition to the bakeries. 

With regard to food and water, it’s very, very minor quantities and not sufficient for our needs as the number of IDPs is dramatically increasing. But it’s not just people inside UNRWA shelters. There are hundreds of thousands of people outside UNRWA shelters. They are hungry and they don’t get food, even in local markets. My family was not in an UNRWA shelter, but I remember that my parents did not get sufficient quantities of food from the market. We witnessed that. We went to the markets, but they are empty. We found nothing to purchase. We have money, but we have nothing to purchase. 

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