An appeal from the Caritas of Jerusalem to raise 1.5 million dollars and help the about 150 thousand employees of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) that have not received their wages for the last three months, so that one quarter of the Palestinian population has not had anything to live on. In a release sent out yesterday, Caritas stated that approximately 40% of the children who live in Gaza suffer from malnutrition, that fresh milk and formula are completely disappeared from the shelves, that the only available milk is the less nourishing powdered milk". Although in the last few weeks goods transportation has increased in the Gaza Strip, "exports are still retained at Karni, where fresh fruits and vegetables, which are among the Palestinians’ greatest sources of income, are rotting". All this, while the Israelis are keeping building a safety barrier around Jerusalem so that, tells Caritas, "passages to Cis-Jordan have decreased from twelve to eight. People living in Israel and those who have a permit can pass through there, but, for the 60 thousand people who enter Israel every day for work or medical treatment, this closure means longer trips, not going to work and impossible health care". To cope with the situation, Caritas launched "a nine-month plan to supply food, clothes and medicines to the population, and provide to the poorest and most desperate ones also money for their rents and studies, the only way to escape poverty". A professional training plan is also being developed.
