GAZANS RESILIENT IN REBUILDING THEIR SHATTERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000158 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND PPD, NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL/RAMCHAND, M FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL THOMAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2019 TAGS: AFSN KWBG MOPS PHUM PREF PTER KPAO IS SUBJECT: GAZANS RESILIENT IN REBUILDING THEIR SHATTERED LIVES REF: A. JERUSALEM 132 ¶B. JERUSALEM 141 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. With a cease-fire in Gaza, two Gazans, whose stories Post tracked throughout the 22 days of fighting, are picking up the pieces of their lives and their homes, focusing on the welfare of their families above all else, and getting ready to go back to school. In telcons with PD Offs, PD FSN Essam Mattar and American Corner Gaza Director Awni Karzon reflected resilience and a practicality about their plights -- finding housing, buying food, and preparing for school exams. End Summary. GOODS AVAILABLE; BAKERIES AND BNKS REOPEN ========================================= ¶2. (C) In daily telcons with PD Offs, PD FN Essam Mattar and American Corner Gaza DirectorAwni Karzon shared their stories of survival thrughout the 22 days of IDF operations in Gaza (refels). With a cease-fire in place, both Mattar ad Karzon have begun trying to create some sense ofnormalcy for their families. In telcons on Janury 19, both said food, water, and other goods ar available in the local markets in Gaza City, andthat bakeries had reopened. ¶3. (C) Karzon said,prices are still high. He also wondered whetherhumanitarian aid is being pilfered and resold in te shops, since he has seen several items that hae not been available in Gaza for months, includin long-life milk and yoghurt. Karzon and Mattar onfirmed that banks have reopened but are limitig withdrawals. Karzon remarked that PA employee can withdraw only up to 500 shekels of their saaries. AMCORNER DIRECTOR FEARS NEW DANGERS WITH EASEFIRE ============================================= ==== ¶4. (C) After sheltering with a frien for 18 days (ref A), Krzon returned with his family to his partially desroyed apartment in Tel al-Hawa on January 19. Krzon reported to PDoff that the master bedroom o his apartment is still habitable and the kitche is functional, though the rest of the apartment s heavily damaged. The building lacks running wter, as the plumbing was damaged by bombing, and my not be structurally sound. Even so, he believs, it is the best place for him and his family nw. With no way to secure his �00A;apartment, Karzon alo worries about looting of what remains of his psessions. ¶5. (C) Karzon expressed concern aboutthe possibility for Hamas reprisals against pro-atah loyalists like himself, but he is determine to stay in Gaza for now. Al Azhar University, where Karzon is a professor, reopened January 20 for cleaning and security sweeps, and Karzon needs to prepare to conduct and grade university exams over the next month. Meanwhile, his wife is anxious to get settled in what is left of their home so she can begin her preparing for her own M.A. exams in February. Karzon said Gaza is his home and he will always return here, but after the events of the last three weeks, he is seeking a break and hopes to find an academic fellowship outside Gaza. (NOTE: Post applied on Karzon's behalf to the Scholar Rescue Fund, which seeks to place at-risk scholars with U.S. universities for up to one year. End note.) CONGEN FSN FOCUSES ON THE FUTURE ================================ ¶6. (C) Following his flight from his bombed-out home (ref B), Mattar finally found refuge for his family in Post's PD Office in Gaza, where he and his family remain as of January ¶20. Though the office building has no running water, Mattar counts himself lucky to have found any shelter for his family. His wife and one of his daughters were injured in the blast that destroyed their home, but received medical treatment and were released from hospital immediately. Mattar told PD Chief that his home can be replaced, his family cannot. ¶7. (C) Returning to his apartment on January 19, Mattar found that his home is now little more than an uninhabitable, burned-out husk. Displaying an irrepressible optimism, Mattar told PD Chief he hopes to rebuild. "Most walls are still standing, at least," he said. In the meantime, Mattar has already been out looking for an apartment to rent. They are scarce though, according to Mattar, and prices have JERUSALEM 00000158 002 OF 002 risen, making them unaffordable for many homeless Gazans, especially those in UNRWA shelters. (NOTE: Post estimates Mattar's total losses, including rebuilding/replacing his apartment and nearly all his family's possessions, at USD 60,000 and is preparing a request for assistance for Mattar through the FSN Relief Fund. End Note.) ¶8. (C) For now, Mattar is focused on getting his family settled as quickly as possible, noting that he has heard Gazan schools will reopen on January 24. He wants his family in a temporary home, not camped out in the office, so his children can focus on returning to their studies. "After all," he told PD Chief, "they have to prepare for their exams in two weeks." WALLES