Exclusive Translation – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:
Fifteen relief organizations demand international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, an arms embargo, and to end the systematic obstruction imposed by “Israel” on aid in Gaza.
New data has revealed the scale of aid obstruction, and the consequential drastic fall in aid entering Gaza.
In a joint statement published by the “Relief Web” site affiliated with the United Nations and reported and translated by “Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni,” it was stated that this is driving a humanitarian disaster, with the entire population of Gaza facing hunger and disease and almost half a million at risk of starvation.
The statement added, “While Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, medicine, medical supplies, fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering for almost a year.”
Data analysis by organizations working in Gaza has found that as a consequence of the occupation government’s obstruction of aid:
83% of required food aid does not make it into Gaza, up from 34% in 2023.This reduction means people in Gaza have gone from having an average of two meals a day to just one meal every other day. An estimated 50,000 children aged between 6 and 59 months urgently require treatment for malnutrition by the end of the year.
65% of the insulin required and half of the required blood supply are not available in Gaza.
Availability of hygiene items has dropped to 15% of the amount available in September 2023. One million women are now going without the hygiene supplies they need.
Only around 1,500 hospital beds in Gaza remain operational, compared to around 3,500 beds in 2023, which was already well below sufficient to meet the needs of a population of more than 2 million people. By comparison, cities of similar size, such as Chicago and Paris, average 5 to 8 times more beds than in Gaza.
1.87 million people need shelter, with at least 60% of homes destroyed or damaged (January 2024). Yet tents for around just 25,000 people have entered Gaza since May 2024.
A record low average of 69 aid trucks per day entered Gaza in August 2024, compared to 500 per working day last year, which was already not enough to meet people’s needs. In August, more than 1 million people did not receive any food rations in southern and central Gaza.
Currently, only 17 out of 36 hospitals remain partially functional. Critical infrastructure such as water networks, sanitation facilities, and bread mills have been razed to the ground.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York this week, aid agencies are calling on governments worldwide to demand Israel end aid obstruction and do the following:
Secure an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Implement an arms embargo and end the export of weapons and military equipment that risk being used in violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Demand compliance with the International Court of Justice’s findings and recommendations, an end to the occupation government’s siege of Gaza, and heed the call of the ICJ in its advisory opinion to end the occupation of Palestinian territory.
While humanitarian needs are ever-increasing, agencies have detailed six main ways their life-saving aid is systematically obstructed on a daily basis.
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.”
Amjad Al Shawa, the director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO), an umbrella organization of 30 Palestinian NGOs and a partner of ActionAid, said: “It’s the worst situation that we witnessed during the Israel war in Gaza.”
جميع الحقوق محفوظة للخبر اليمني ٢٠٢١م