VZCZCXRO7970
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #0121/01 0151706
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151706Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0051
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 7981

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 000121 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PTER EFIN PREL MOPS PHUM PINS KWBG IS
SUBJECT: GAZA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE, JANUARY 15, 1700 HRS 
 
REF: TEL AVIV 0115 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Joint Coordination Room (JCR) convened a 9:30 
meeting to introduce the newly appointed Minister for 
Humanitarian Affairs, Yitzhak Herzog, to the diplomatic and 
international organizations communities in order to 
demonstrate the GOI's priority on maintaining humanitarian 
aid for Gazan civilians through the creation of a 
cabinet-level policy coordination position. As the Minister 
listened to the international community's concerns, including 
overnight shelling near an ICRC residence in Gaza and IDF 
soldiers surrounding two UNRWA hospitals and preventing entry 
and egress, the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse 
(reftel). In real time, participants learned that two 
hospitals, Al-Qods and Tal al-Hawa, had been hit during 
nearby close-quarters firefights between IDF and Hamas 
militants.  Moments later, the UNRWA compound in Gaza had 
been hit and was burning, and flames threatened to ignite the 
center's fuel storage tanks. 
 
¶2. (SBU) As of 1600 hours, a fire at Al-Qods Hospital 
resulting from the morning's incident had been extinguished 
and some 500 patients were being moved to other hospitals; 
several UNRWA workers near the al-Qods hospital had also been 
injured.  Local and ICRC fire crews, escorted by the IDF, 
reached the UNRWA compound headquarters, and had brought this 
blaze under control, but apparently too late. While the IDF 
managed to move UN fuel trucks so that they did not catch 
fire, the UNRWA warehouse and many tons of foods and 
medicines were destroyed by the fire. 
 
¶3. (SBU) PM Olmert apologized to UNSYG Ban Ki-Moon, in Israel 
today, for today's shelling of the UNRWA compound, but 
appeared to justify the action by claiming that "Hamas 
attacked FROM WITHIN the UNRWA building during our 
humanitarian pause."  (Comment:  Since UNRWA and other UN 
officials reported the compound being hit by Israeli shells 
and the flammable phosophorus debris -- likely to have come 
from IDF smoke rounds -- well BEFORE the 1100 humanitarian 
pause, as confirmed also by constant USG contact with UNRWA 
personnel in the compound, Olmert,s statement appears 
patently inaccurate.)  Ban Ki-Moon also met with MinDef 
Barak, who said that Hamas is using UN installations for 
cover and using civilians as human shields.  But Ban Ki-Moon, 
in his press conference with FM Livni, reported that Barak 
had apologized for this "grave mistake" and "assured the 
UNSYG that extra attention would be paid to the UN facilities 
and that this should not be repeated."  (Note: Embassy also 
lobbied IDF contacts along these lines.  END NOTE). ICRC 
President Kellenberger met with FM Livni and MinDef Barak in 
Jerusalem today. Livni asked Kellenberger to request access 
to captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit to assess his condition. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Repairs and refueling of the Bayt Lahiya sewage 
lagoon and pumping plant were completed by the Gazan 
operator, CMWU.  Two Palestinian repair teams, escorted by 
the ICRC, are working daily to restore power lines at Shifa 
hospital and have restored 74% of the pre-incursion 
generation capacity. 
 
¶5. (SBU) 71 truckloads of humanitarian supplies (34 food, 5 
medical supplies) transited through Kerem Shalom today. 
Karni was expected to handle 60 truckloads of grain and 
animal feed, but nothing passed through due to fighting in 
Gaza City. UNRWA did not run any trucks today. Nahal Oz was 
open, but fuel could not be transferred because the tanks on 
the Gazan side were still full. Erez was open or 
humanitarian cases, but none came to the crossing.  At Kerem 
Shalom, the addition of a fourth lane and a second fuel line 
should be completed by Sunday.  These improvements will 
double fuel handling capacity and increase throughput to up 
to 150 trucks per day.  JCR chief Spiegel told EconCouns that 
the GOI had also agreed with the Egyptians to allow convoys 
of Egyptian supply trucks from Nitzana through Kerem Shalom. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Kerem Shalom should be open tomorrow.  Erez should 
be open for coordinated movement of international community 
staff and for humanitarian cases.  The JCR would like Karni 
and Nahal Oz to open, but the final decision rests with the 
Southern Command. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Following on today's pilot four-hour humanitarian 
pause, tomorrow's and Saturday's pauses will also last four 
hours, at which point a decision will be taken as to whether 
to extend four-hour pauses.  Today's four-hour pause was 
totally ineffective within Gaza City.  Thousands of Gaza City 
civilians tried to flee, but but had nowhere to go. 
 
¶8. (SBU) There was a small, noisy but peaceful demonstration 
 
TEL AVIV 00000121  002 OF 002 
 
 
in front of Embassy Tel Aviv (20-30 young Israelis) 
supporting ongoing IDF operations and demanding the return of 
Gilad Shalit. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Rockets from Gaza continued to hit Israel today.  17 
rockets from Gaza hit Israel before the pause; another ten 
hit during the humanitarian pause.  A rocket that hit a car 
in Be'ersheva injured six; two, a woman and a child, were 
injured seriously. 
 
¶10. (U)  Israeli media, citing Palestinian sources, announced 
that an IAF strike on Gaza City killed two of Hamas' most 
senior officials: Interior Minister Said Siam and security 
apparatus head Salah Abu Shreh.  Six other Hamas operatives 
were reportedly killed in the same strike. 
 
 
 
 
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CUNNINGHAM