Gaza amenities crippled, illness on rise-aid group

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) Only one in three people in Gaza had access to running water after Israel's offensive in late June and chronic illness, trauma and mental health cases have increased sharply, a French relief group said.

Western financial sanctions imposed after Islamist Hamas came to power in March after winning Palestinian elections have caused suffering along with Israeli military strikes and should stop, Medecins du Monde (MDM) President Pierre Micheletti said yesterday.

''Gaza is being intentionally kept on artificial respiration, and the population is suffering from collective depression,'' he told a news conference.

''We have seen a marked increase in chronic illness, trauma cases, premature birth, and mental health,'' Micheletti added.

''Under these conditions it is hard to see how the population has an alternative to violence, that is my personal opinion.'' In a new report on Gaza, MDM said surveys carried out in June and July showed only 33 percent of the 1.4 million population had access to running water, versus 70 percent before Israel launched its offensive.

Israeli forces carried out a series of raids in Gaza after militants there kidnapped an Israel soldier in June.

Access to medical care across the territory took four times longer once Israeli strikes began, the report said.

MDM Project Director Regis Garrigue criticised the European Union for stopping reconstruction aid after the January elections won by Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction.

In recent violence, rockets fired from Gaza killed a 58-year-old woman in an Israeli border town on Wednesday. Last week, an Israeli artillery barraged killed 19 civilians in Gaza.

Israel pulled its troops and around 8,500 Jewish settlers out of Gaza last year after 38 years of occupation.

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