My previous suggestion of a huge aid camp and health facility to be set up in the Sinai Desert as a refuge for displaced Palestinians is making more sense than ever in the light of recent developments in the “Gaza war”.
With a major proportion of the Gaza population presently forced
into terrible conditions in the Raffa area in the south of the Gaza Strip, where they face famine and critical health problems, a “safety valve” such as a massive, safe refugee camp in the Sinai is desperately required.
It has been reported that Palestinians can purchase visas for thousands of dollars, allowing them to exit Gaza into Egypt. If such visas can be purchased, morally, exiting Gaza should be free, based on humanitarian need.
Allegations have been made that some employees of the UN aid organisation UNWRA were involved in the Oct 7 attack on Israel and taking of hostages by Hamas. The truth of those allegations seems to be supported by the fact that UNWRA has fired at least nine of their employees against whom those allegations had been made — something that UNWRA would be unlikely to do unless there was a strong case against those fired.
In this whole Middle East catastrophe, it appears that the UN and even the International Court of Justice have lost a huge amount of international credibility in their “failures” in handling the situation. They need now to smooth the way legally, financially, and immediately, to establish that life-saving refuge in the Sinai. If it does not happen soon, how many more lives will be needlessly lost?
Dennis Pennefather
