news FROM USBBY TWINNING PARTNER IBBY Palestine

To: All IBBY Members
Cc. Executive Committee
Dear Friends,

​We are living difficult days, and hardly imaginable levels of horror have invaded our screens and the pages of our newspapers. 
Mostly women and children were among the victims of the air strikes and subsequent fire that destroyed a refugee camp in Rafah on the night of Sunday. With our to protect the rights of the child at hear, such blatant violations of Humanitarian law—repeatedly denounced by the United Nations, the International Penal Court and the global civil society—result even more intolerable.

In this heartbreaking context, I am sharing news sent by IBBY Palestine President Jehan Helou in the past couple of days regarding the living conditions of our two colleagues in Gaza, both of whom worked at the IBBY Libraries of Rafah and Beit Hanoun: 

More than 800,000 Palestinian have been displaced from Rafah with no safe place to go to, no house, no shelter not even a tent There is barely food, water and medical care if any! An ongoing genocide of endless killing is accompanied by severe measures of tormenting civilians and denying their basic needs for survival. The families of our two IBBY librarians face the same horrific situation, lack of safety and survival needs. As we were desperate, we [IBBY Palestine] made contacts with some of the relief organizations working in Gaza to provide urgent needs. No one could provide a tent and no humanitarian aid has been allowed for more than two weeks, and barely the aid entering Gaza before did not cover the basic needs for All. Sadly, all what was provided is a bag for newly born babies and sanitary cleaning kit. 

The family of Mahmood who is from Rafah but had to be displaced, luckily had a tent.
While Abla, the librarian of the destroyed library in Beit Hanoun, and her family were homeless for three days, they were displaced for a fourth time since the beginning of the war, from Rafah to El Mawasi.
Abla last wrote to us [IBBY Palestine] on Saturday 25 April: "We were displaced from Rafah to the Al-Mawasi area, which directly overlooks the sea. After very, very difficult days we were able to set up a tent, but it is small in size, and the situation is very bad due to the sand and lack of cleanliness. 
The health situation is difficult, as everyone suffers from diseases and the lack of water, and if it is available, it is polluted and salty, and the weather is hot. 
We returned as if it were the first days of the war, and even there is no calm, as the gunboats are bombing are continuous. Fear increases every day, and in addition to that, there is no liquidity in the region, and what is available takes a great advantage, that is, our salaries are 300 dollars, and when we receive them from any exchange office, 50 dollars are deducted. Prices have become as expensive as the beginning of the war, and most of the food is not available.  My children are unable to recover, they have all become sick, and even my little baby is ill, and there is no treatment so far.
After much effort we received a health package from the Ma’an Center but no food was available. We hope to get more aid, the situation is extremely difficult!"

We [IBBY Palestine] can never know if they are safe as the heavy bombing continues all over Gaza in addition to terrible displacement conditions as you hear and read from Abla. For few days no contact…we have to nervously wait. So painful to feel helpless!

More information can be found on the IBBY Palestine Facebook page. 

The Executive Committee will be discussing possible next steps for action in the coming days and a regular meeting is scheduled next Wednesday. Your inputs and suggestions to the EC are welcome during this time.
Messages of support are also important in these horrifying times. They can be sent directly to IBBY Palestine ([email protected] and [email protected]), or directed to the Secretariat, from where they will be forwarded.

Hoping for better days, 

Carolina

Carolina Ballester 
IBBY Executive Director