A new report from humanitarian organization Refugees International says Israel is creating “famine-like conditions” in the Gaza Strip while “obstructing and undermining the humanitarian response.”
The group's research in Egypt, Jordan, and Israel found that Tel Aviv “consistently and baselessly obstructed aid operations within the Gaza Strip, blocked legitimate relief operations, and disrupted the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.” It became clear that the government is resisting the implementation of measures to strengthen the situation.
The report was based on interviews with dozens of government officials, humanitarian workers and NGO workers working in the field.
“Our investigation reveals that the situation inside Gaza is terminal,” the report released Thursday said.
“After five months of war, Palestinians are struggling to find enough food, water, shelter and basic medicines. Famine-level hunger is already widespread and is only getting worse. ”
Failure to comply with ICJ judgment
The International Refugee Association also supports Israel in following legally binding interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 26 to facilitate the flow of aid and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip. “There is clearly no compliance,” he said.
In its defense to the ICJ, Israel argued that it had been actively eliminating bottlenecks and improving the entry and distribution of aid to Gaza.
The report says Israeli authorities have “installed unnecessary hurdles, complex logistics processes, and unpredictable screening systems, and have overwhelmed the testing system with layers of bureaucracy, testing, and work-hour restrictions.” It was revealed that there is.
Although Israel claims to have expanded its capacity to transport aid to Gaza, the average number of trucks delivered in February was actually 50 fewer than the previous month, according to UN data cited in the report. %Diminished.
Key crossings such as northern Erez and al-Muntar (known to Israelis as Qarni) remain closed, preventing access to northern Gaza.
The report found that Israel was not complying with the terms of the National Security Memorandum (NSM-20) issued by US President Joe Biden's administration in February, and that it was not adhering to countries receiving US security assistance in Gaza. It called for the United Nations to actively promote the provision of humanitarian assistance in the region.
Logistics issues
The International Refugee Association has found that logistical issues within Egypt and Jordan are limiting the distribution of life-saving aid to people in the Gaza Strip.
The Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt is primarily intended for commercial shipping, but lacks the capacity to handle the large amounts of aid that the Gaza Strip requires. Egyptian authorities are also trying to block a large-scale humanitarian response in northern Sinai, a military zone.
According to the report, Egypt responded to Israeli pressure to open its borders to Palestinian refugees by increasing monitoring and regulation of aid agencies' access to border areas and increased monitoring of individuals' movement into and out of Gaza.
The charity, which delivers aid to Gaza from Jordan's capital Amman, told Refugees International that Israeli authorities had erected “difficult obstacles” that did not exist before, forcing Jordanian authorities to provide clear standard operating procedures. He said it has not yet been provided.
New barriers, including new testing requirements, are also holding up aid at the Allenby Bridge and Karem Abu Salem (Kelem Shalom) border crossings into Israel.
ask for a ceasefire
The report urges the parties to the conflict in Gaza to “immediately agree to a mutual ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” and to “observe international humanitarian law and refrain from any action that threatens the rights, security and dignity of both Palestinians and Palestinians.” He urged them to exercise restraint in their actions. Israeli civilians.”
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker an agreement in which Hamas would release Israeli prisoners in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and more aid to Gaza.
But three days of negotiations this week with Hamas over a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip failed to reach a breakthrough, with less than a week to go until the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the unofficial deadline for a deal.
International refugees also called for an end to attacks on civilians and infrastructure, and for the United Nations and aid agencies to have access to people in need.
Among other recommendations, it said Israel must refrain from “military attacks on Rafah and other actions that could further displace Palestinians or exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.”
Israeli forces are preparing for a long-threatened ground invasion of the southern Gaza border city of Rafah, where more than half of the enclave's 2.3 million people have been forcibly displaced.
At least 30,800 Palestinians have been killed and 72,198 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,139.