8) The Effect of House Demolition on Life in Rafah  

The events of al-Aqsa Intifada had considerable effects on the lives of Palestinians in general, and on the Palestinians in Rafah District in particular.  All aspects of life were affected-economical, psychological, health and education.  Rafah has witnessed the largest operations of house demolition by the hands of the Israeli occupation army.  A total of 295 houses were completely demolished in Rafah District since the start of the al-Aqsa Intifada on 29^th September 2000, according to al-Quds newspaper, on 18/1/2002.  Additionally, 414 houses were partially destroyed.

The human losses were also high.  82 Palestinians from Rafah District were killed, 22 of them under 18 years old.  1160 were injured, 108 of them will remain disabled for life.  (Statistics until 4^th February 2002.)

In addition, the Israeli army and settlers in Rafah area destroyed more than 2075 dunoms of agricultural lands.  Most of this land was planted with fruits and vegetables that represent the only source of income for the Palestinian farmers.

A) Effects on Education

The Israeli occupation forces have violated this basic right by killing schoolchildren and detaining them, and transforming the Palestinian schools into military posts for the Israeli army.  The military closure on the territories also curtailed the educational process and prevented many students and teachers from reaching their schools.

Because of the severe poverty in the Palestinian community, which is widely reflected on the educational process, many Palestinian students could not attend school due to the difficult economical situation.  In addition, many students decided to quit learning and search for jobs to help support their families.

University students were also affected by the current situation.  On many days they couldn’t reach their universities, and their parents find it very hard to afford their university fees.  Many of those students express their frustration and anger by blaming the Israeli government.  They say the Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is not interested in achieving real peace with the Palestinians.  They add that the current Israeli government, by taking such severe measures against the Palestinians, is pushing the whole region towards war, which will destroy their future dreams.

Dr. Said Harb, Director of Education in Rafah District, told the PHRMG in an interview on 31/1/2002, “The educational process in the region has been affected by the Israeli practices and especially by the military closure.”  He said that individual schoolchildren whose houses have been demolished couldn’t sit for their examinations on time, therefore the Directorate of Education has instructed teachers to re-schedule new examinations for them.

School children whose homes were demolished, and their families, had to find new arrangements for their travel to and from schools especially after they have been forced to move into new houses in different locations.  Students from al-Mawassy area suffer very severely at the Israeli checkpoints.  The Israeli soldiers humiliate them and search them on their way to and from al-Mawassy.  These students have to walk 7 kilometers to reach their schools.  (Al-Mawassy area is a Palestinian territory on the sea surrounded by Israeli settlements from three directions, and it is classified as area C, under full Israeli control.)

The Israeli occupation authorities have prevented Palestinians from bringing in construction materials to al-Mawassy area to finish building a school there, for security reasons, officials said.  It is worth mentioning that there are 116 schoolchildren from al-Mawassy who go to Palestinian schools, and 320 who go to UNRWA schools, all of them in the basic elementary stage.

Schoolchildren who live under continuous Israeli oppression suffer psychological difficulties.  On this subject, Dr. Said Harb explained: “When a school pupil has a minor problem he focuses his attention on that problem which affects his learning.  Now imagine the difficulties he will be thinking about if his home is demolished.  His home represents security and safety, and he sees it disappear under the brutal teeth of the Israeli bulldozers.  How would he then concentrate on his studies?”

Some of the schools in Rafah District are located close to the border with Egypt.  The Israeli army repeatedly bombarded those schools.  Examples of this are: Kamal ‘Adwan School in Tal al-Sultan area which was shelled with heavy machine guns from the Jewish settlement of Rafiah Yam.  An Israeli missile landed in the courtyard of Rafah Basic School causing serious damage.  Rabi’a al-Adawia School in Block J near the border was partially damaged by the explosions that the Israeli army make in order to destroy tunnels used by the Palestinians, Israeli sources claim.

Dr. Said Harb said that the Directorate of Education has given some assistance to school pupils whose homes were demolished, such as school bags, books and so on, as well as financial assistance of US$50 to each student.

A total of 19 schoolchildren were killed in Rafah District since the start of al-Aqsa Intifada, 7 of them were registered in government schools, and 12 of them in schools administered by UNRWA.

List of Palestinian schoolchildren who were killed by the Israeli army in Rafah District since the start of al-Aqsa Intifada, registered in government schools.

B) Psychological Effects

Palestinian civilians in Rafah whose homes were demolished by Israel will suffer from psychological reflections.

Jazza’ al-Soufi, a Palestinian whose house –in Block J- was demolished on 12/1/2002 told the PHRMG: “My children often wake up terrified at night, thinking the Israeli tanks and soldiers came back.  They see nightmares all the time.  Not only the children were affected by that savage operation, adults were affected as well.”

The PHRMG met on 29/1/2002 with Dr. Iyad al-Sarraj, Director of Gaza Psychological Health Program, who conducted research on the psychological effects of the shocks created by the venets of al-Aqsa Intifada on the Palestinian mothers and children in two of the Palestinian areas that were heavily bombarded by the Israeli army- al-Tuffah area in Khan-Yunis and Salaheddin Gate area in Rafah.  The study included 121 mothers with children.  Dr. Sarraj said: “In the first stage, immediately after a person is shocked by a certain event, his feelings become indolent, and he/she can’t express their emotions.  On other occasions he/she may become very angry, and a feeling of complete inability controls the person, and that leads to total submission.  The second stage begins when the person starts to realize that his previous daily life has changed completely.  The stronger he realizes that fact, the stronger will be his pain.  Then the effects of the shock will begin to show up on his/her behavior.  He/She will become more distant and isolated.  This will be expressed by different means such as crying all the time, loneliness and enuresis – involuntary bed-wetting.”  Dr. Sarraj also mentioned the long term results of the unjust Israeli practices, like house demolition, which will create bitter hatred inside those people who saw their homes vanish in front of their eyes without being able to defend themselves or their property.  Dr. Sarraj added that adults find it easier and less painful to adjust with such difficulties.

The result of the study that was conducted on the Palestinian mothers and children (121 random samples) from al-Tuffah area in Khan-Yunis and Salaheddin Gate in Rafah show the difficulties they faced, item by item, and their percentages, since the start of al-Aqsa Intifada.

Dr. Sameer Qouteh, Director of Research at Gaza Psychological Health Program, said that his center gave much attention and concern to the psychological effects reflected on children as a result of the house demolition operation in Rafah.  He said that the basic problem facing children is the fear from bombardment, and this subject is seen clearly in their drawings and discussions.  He concluded by saying that 54.6% of the children on whom the study was conducted now suffer from symptoms of the second stage, after receiving the shock.  These symptoms include bed-wetting in the daytime and at night, nervousness and loss of appetite.

Dr. Iyad Zaqout, from the same center, affirmed the importance of the role of the family, especially the mother, in providing security and protection to the children.  This eases the pressure off the children and helps them overcome some of the difficulties they face.  He added that it is essential that the mother does not appear affected by what has happened, especially in front of her children.

Many organizations and centers that are focused on the psychological health of the community opened direct telephone lines to deal with problems such as these, especially after the start of the al-Aqsa Intifada.

Mr. Ibrahim Khalil Abu-Shawareb, 37 years old, said his son Mohammed, 7 years old, suffers from psychological damages, since their home was demolished by the Israeli army on 12/1/2002.  The little boy was hospitalized for few days because of his psychological condition; he had some nervous problems.  He, and his brothers and sisters, sleep next to their father, in their uncle’s house.  They have moved there since the night when their home was demolished.

In Rafah refugee camp, Hussein, a university student who studies science, pointed to his father who was sitting sadly with his Palestinian koufia on his head, and said: “You see, this scene will one day force me to carry out a suicide attack against those who turned our life into hell.”

C) Economical Effects

Rafah District, like all the other Palestinian Territories, suffered from very severe economical difficulties since the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada.  The harm in the economical situation began with the closure imposed by the Israeli army after the start of the current Intifada.  That led to the closure of many small Palestinian factories and companies, and made movement to and from Rafah very difficult, if not impossible.  Moreover, the destruction of agricultural lands added to the misery.  Many Palestinian farmers lost their only source of income.  There is a high percentage of unemployment in the district, because thousands of workers can no longer enter Israel for work.  Because of all those unjust and illegal practices by the Israeli authorities, the number of unemployed workers rose to 20,000 (based on a report published by the Governance of Rafah).  In addition, more than 65 stores were destroyed in Rafah, most of them in the area around Salah Eddin Gate.

Under normal circumstances, 51% of Rafah’s population is below the poverty line.  At present, with the current difficult conditions, that percentage has risen to 80%.  In the last year, 87% of the population didn’t pay for their electricity bills, while 85.6% did not pay for the services of the Municipality (according to the Municipality of Rafah).  According to the Office of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Rafah, the number of Palestinian families that are considered very poor went up to 5228 families.

In order to rescue the people from the disastrous economical situation in the area, and to reduce unemployment, the Norwegian and Canadian governments financed some projects in Rafah in the first six months of the Intifada.  They paid US$1,081,000 for the following projects:

1- Establishment of a Centre for Multi-Purpose Community Service was begun in December 2001.

2- A project for providing work opportunities for people from Rafah-- this provided 42,000 days of work for about 3000 workers.

3- Projects for building roads in different areas of the district and building water networks as well.

4- Formation of two local councils in al-Shoukeh and al-Nasser neighborhoods that provide services to the public, and building of stands at Rafah football stadium.