Border closure plunges Gaza into 'humanitarian crisis'

GAZA - The UN has warned international donor countries that Gaza is threatened with a mounting economic and humanitarian problems because of a two-week closure of the key Karni crossing into Israel.

Perishable Palestinian exports worth US$500,000 ($735,000) a day and badly needed incoming medical and humanitarian supplies are being held up at the Gaza border because of the closure of Karni cargo crossing since January 15.

The warning comes as a separate international threat to funding of the Palestinian Authority because of Hamas' election victory, and a decision by Israel to freeze remission of US$2 million of customs duties this month.

Israel confirmed that it would not pay this month's duties while it considered its longer-term options in the wake of Hamas' victory.

The Palestinians dispute Israel's stated security reasons for closing the Karni crossing and say that it violates the post-disengagement agreement, which said Israel would "permit the export of all agricultural products from the Gaza Strip during the 2005 harvest".

The UN has told donors that over 100 tonnes of strawberries, cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and flowers are "soiling, destroyed or have been donated locally to hospitals".

The Palestine Trade Centre estimates that 80 daily truckloads have not been able to exit since the closure at Karni crossing was imposed and that the total loss of exports is estimated to be worth up to US$7 million for the entire month.

At the behest of the Israelis, who told the Press Association that it had fully credible intelligence reports of an attack on the crossing, the Palestinians started a trench-digging operation on January 5, which after two weeks uncovered what the Israelis said was a tunnel designed to further such an attack.

- INDEPENDENT