More than 100 largely aid and rights groups on Wednesday called for governments to take action as hunger spreads in Gaza, including by demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid.
By Christopher Wells
A statement signed by 111 humanitarian organizations, including Caritas Internationalis, has denounced the Israeli government’s “siege” of Gaza, and urges governments to act to open all land crossings; restore the flow of food, water, medicine, shelter items, and fuel into Gaza “through a principled, UN-led mechanism”; end the siege; and agree to an immediate ceasefire.
The organizations note the almost daily “massacres” at food distribution sites in Gaza, citing UN confirmation that 875 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food, and thousands of others have been injured. It says more than two million Palestinians have been displaced with the latest Israeli displacement order and highlights the warning from the World Food Program that current conditions make operations “untenable.”
The statement goes on to declare bluntly: “The starvation of civilians is a war crime.”
Aid organizations say that in warehouses outside Gaza, and even within the territory itself, there are tons of supplies that could be used to assist civilians, but humanitarian agencies have been blocked from accessing or delivering them.
“The Government of Israel’s restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,” the statement reads, adding, “the UN-led humanitarian system has not failed, it has been prevented from functioning.”
Despite promises from the EU and Israel, the statement says, “these promises ring hollow when there is no real change on the ground.”
“It is time to take decisive action,” the humanitarian organizations say, as they call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire; the lifting of bureaucratic restrictions, the opening of land crossings; and the assurance of access to everyone in Gaza.
In particular, the statement calls for the rejection of “military-controlled distribution models” and the restoration of “a principled, UN-led humanitarian response”, as well as continued funding for “principled and impartial humanitarian organizations.”
The also appeal for states to take concrete steps to end the siege, including stopping the transfer of weapons and ammunitions.
Denouncing “piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures” as “smokescreens” for inaction, the organizations conclude their declaration by insisting, “States can and must save lives before there are none left to save.”
