Israel has intensified its siege of Gaza. 15 aid organisations have delivered a joint report that Israel is blocking 83% of food aid deliveries to the enclave. Israel has long been restricting aid deliveries, but now it has gotten worse.
Palestinians in Gaza need at least 500-600 trucks to enter daily. But in August Israel only allowed an average of 69 trucks per day, according to the organisations – which include Oxfam, Save the Children, ActionAid, and CARE International.
This has resulted in people eating just one meal every two days, the entire 2.2m population being hungry, and half a million at risk of starvation.
Israel’s actions “beyond catastrophic”
Jolien Veldwijik, CARE Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza, said:
The situation was intolerable long before last October’s escalation and is beyond catastrophic now. Over 11 months, we have reached shocking levels of conflict, displacement, disease and hunger. Yet, aid is still not getting in, and humanitarian workers are risking their lives to do their jobs while attacks and violations of international law intensify. Aid, which is urgently required for 2.2 million people at risk of dying in the coming weeks and months, should never be politicised. We demand an immediate and sustained ceasefire, and the free flow of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza.
The group points out that over 50,000 children under five years old may need malnutrition treatment by December.
The blockade does not only impact food, but also other essentials like medicine, emergency shelter and hygiene items. The organisations, which work on the ground in Gaza, report that 65% of necessary insulin and half the required blood supply is not available.
Israel had destroyed 60% of the homes in Gaza by January, yet the blockade has only allowed 25,000 tents to enter since May, the aid group further stated.
A UN impact snapshot from 11 September, meanwhile, reports that Israel has displaced 90% of Gaza and destroyed the majority of hospitals, which are now out of service, with only 17 out of 36 partially functional.
It’s more than the siege that is obstructing aid
The 15 aid organisations also noted the ways Israel obstructs their work:
The denial of safety, with more than 40,000 Palestinians and nearly 300 aid workers killed since last October; the sharp tightening of a 17-year blockade to a full siege, which prevents aid from entering Gaza; delays and denials which restrict the movement of aid around Gaza; tightly restrictive and unpredictable control of imports; the destruction of public infrastructure such as schools and hospitals; and the displacement of civilians and humanitarian workers
In addition, the group issued demands for governments, including an “immediate and lasting ceasefire”, an “arms embargo”, and “compliance with the International Court of Justice’s findings” including “its advisory opinion to end the occupation of Palestinian territory”.
Featured image via Oxfam GB – YouTube and Mohamad Safa – X
