Ahmed Sourani of PARC believes political reform within the Palestinian Authority is desperately needed. photo: Christian Aid
'Our development objective can't just be the provision of aid. We must have real peace in this area.'

'Land clearance by the Israeli army during this intifada has damaged 70,000 homes in the Strip,' he says.

More than 200 communities in the West Bank have no access to running water.

'Many wells have been destroyed or buried, farmers have lost their land and the main roads have been cut by Israeli checkpoints, which makes it impossible to import or export goods.'

Ahmed believes that conditions for Palestinians will only improve when peace with justice is achieved.

'Our development objective can't just be the provision of aid. We must have real peace in this area. On a political level we seem to have lost hope and there have been no real changes on the ground.

'We are much more scared than before. There are no security police, and there is no progress economically or politically in Gaza. I try to stay positive for my children but it's very difficult.'

Because of the occupation, many people in the Gaza Strip have never travelled more than a few kilometres from their homes.

Children grow up accustomed to gunfire, tanks and shelling as an everyday occurrence and post-traumatic stress disorder is very common.

'Sadly, the favourite game for children here is "Jews vs Arabs"', says Ahmed.

'Imagine the psychology of some of these children - of ten year olds feeling so hopeless that they want to die and become martyrs.

'Our schools and mosques should be monitored properly and not be affiliated with political or fanatical factions who use the poverty and disadvantage of their people for their own devices.

'When I found out my children's school trip was to a cemetery full of the graves of martyrs, I was so angry. This is not the environment we want our children growing up in.'