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Donors pledge Palestinians $500m Donors pledge Palestinians $500m
(about 2 hours later)
International donors have pledged $500m (£262m) towards aid and reconstruction for the Palestinian territories, well above the UN's target figure of $330m. International donors have pledged $500m (£262m) towards aid and reconstruction for the Palestinian territories - well above the UN's target figure of $330m.
The pledge came at a conference in Sweden after UN aid chief Jan Egeland called Gaza a "ticking time bomb". UN aid chief Jan Egeland, who earlier referred to Gaza as a "time bomb", welcomed the pledges but said there had to be a new peace process with Israel.
Palestinians have been living on restricted aid since Hamas's election victory, and until now the UN had struggled to reach its target. Palestinians have had aid restricted since Hamas's election victory and the UN was struggling to reach its target.
On Thursday, donors pledged $940m of help to rebuild Lebanon.On Thursday, donors pledged $940m of help to rebuild Lebanon.
Earlier this year the US and European Union froze aid to the Palestinian Authority because Hamas has refused to renounce violence and recognise Israel. Reporting from Stockholm, the BBC's Alix Kroeger notes that donations for the Palestinian territories have been significantly less.
A limited flow was later restored, though aid workers say it is not enough. Mr Egeland had earlier told the conference that the Palestinians needed at least as much aid and money as the Lebanese.
Call for unity It's also a question of third parties going in and mediating a solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis Jan EgelandUN aid chief
Swedish Aid Minister Carin Jamtin hailed the donors' pledges as "a fantastic result". Earlier this year the US and European Union froze aid to the Palestinian Authority because of Hamas's refusal to renounce violence and recognise Israel.
A limited flow was later restored though aid workers say it is not enough.
One European official described the new money as "a band aid" for a deeper political problem, our correspondent says.
It buys time and makes people's lives more tolerable, the official added, but it is not a solution.
'Rock bottom'
Swedish Aid Minister Carin Jamtin, the conference's host, hailed the donors' pledges as "a fantastic result".
All our dreams are cancelled - everything's cancelled - our priorities are feeding ourselves and just living Government worker Nidha YounisRamallah, West Bank Palestinians' slow despairAll our dreams are cancelled - everything's cancelled - our priorities are feeding ourselves and just living Government worker Nidha YounisRamallah, West Bank Palestinians' slow despair
She said that $55m of the funds would go to meet a shortfall in emergency funding.She said that $55m of the funds would go to meet a shortfall in emergency funding.
A total of $114m would be spent on humanitarian aid, with the rest going towards rebuilding of infrastructure and other projects, she added. A total of $114m would be spent on humanitarian aid, with the rest going towards the rebuilding of infrastructure and other projects, she added.
Also on Friday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya urged public sector workers in Gaza and the West Bank to abandon plans for an open-ended strike over the non-payment of their wages. Mr Egeland also hailed the pledges for the Palestinians:
He said Palestinians needed to remain united in difficult circumstances, and he appealed to teachers to attend their schools at the start of the new academic year on Saturday. "I hope that this conference here could represent some kind of a rock bottom for how deep we could sink in despair for the Palestinian territories and that we now move forward."
Mr Haniya was speaking after taking part in a clean-up of streets in Gaza City, where rubbish has piled up because of strikes by refuse collectors. He had told those attending the meeting that 1.4 million Palestinians were "living in a cage" with border crossings closed and electricity and water shortages.
'Living in a cage' In the 25 years he had been visiting the Palestinian territories, he said he had "never seen so much hatred and bitterness" as during his last visit and he urged both Israel and Palestinian militants to cease hostilities.
Since late June, Israel has been conducting a large-scale military offensive in the coastal Gaza Strip, after Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier. "It's not only a question of more money... it's also a question of third parties going in and mediating a solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis," he said.
LEBANON AID PLEDGES Total pledged - $940mLargest donors include: Qatar - $300mUnited States - $234mArab Fund - $112mSaudi Arabia - $60mEuropean Commission - $54mUnited Arab Emirates - $50mItaly - $38mSpain - $34m More than 200 Palestinians have been killed, while 11 Israeli civilians have been wounded by rocket fire from Gaza. Israel has been conducting military operations in the coastal Gaza Strip since Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier in June.
Mr Egeland said the Palestinians needed at least as much aid and money as the Lebanese, adding that 1.4 million Palestinians were "living in a cage". More than 200 Palestinians have been killed while 11 Israeli civilians have been wounded by rocket fire from Gaza.
"The border crossings are really closed. They cannot get anything out, this is crippling their economy," Mr Egeland said. Strike appeal
"There is not enough electricity, there is not enough water. There are social conditions on an intolerable level at the moment. One aid worker who returned from Gaza 10 days ago warned in Stockholm that malnutrition was widespread and many new mothers were unable to breastfeed their babies.
There are concerns Palestinians' suffering has been overshadowed"So we need more money but we need also a political solution to this war."
Unemployment is high, and in Gaza, the UN says nearly 80% of people live in poverty.Unemployment is high, and in Gaza, the UN says nearly 80% of people live in poverty.
One aid worker who returned from Gaza 10 days ago warned that malnutrition was widespread and many new mothers were unable to breastfeed their babies, reports the BBC's Alix Kroeger in Stockholm. Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya has urged public sector workers in Gaza and the West Bank to abandon plans for an open-ended strike over the non-payment of their wages.
Mr Egeland also warned that, in the 25 years he had been visiting the Palestinian territories, "I've never seen so much hatred and bitterness as during my last visit there." He said Palestinians needed to remain united in difficult circumstances and he appealed to teachers to attend their schools at the start of the new academic year on Saturday.
He urged both Israel and Palestinian militants to cease hostilities. Mr Haniya was speaking after taking part in a clean-up of streets in Gaza City, where rubbish has piled up because of strikes by refuse collectors.