UNITED NATIONS: The year 2014 was a traumatic one for millions of people living in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory, a United Nations humanitarian official said on Thursday.

Amid a surge in hostilities and an ongoing blockade “Continued occupation undermines the ability of Palestinians to live normal lives”, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the territory, James Rawley, said in conjunction with the release of the Annual Humanitarian Overview by the Office for the Coordination of Human­itarian Affairs (OCHA).

“Were these factors removed and related policies changed, international humanitarian assistance would not be necessary here,” he added, while acknowledging that last year had been a “devastating” one for Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play