Access “safe and unhindered for humanitarians to provide life-saving assistance” in the Gaza Strip, ravaged by more than a year of war, is « urgent » to deliver humanitarian aid, the International Red Cross demanded Wednesday on X.
Heavy rains and flooding have made the makeshift shelters of thousands of people in this territory uninhabitable, with up to 30 centimeters of water inside the tents, according to a statement from the International Federation of Cross Societies. Red Crescent Society (IFRC).
“Without safe access, children will freeze to death. Without safe access, families will starve. Without safe access, aid workers cannot save lives”warned IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain in the press release. “My urgent appeal to all parties is to end this human suffering. NOW “he added.
Citing the United Nations, the IFRC deplores that eight babies died of exposure. According to Mr. Chapagain, “Recent UN reports of babies dying of hypothermia in the Gaza Strip highlight the severity of the humanitarian crisis”.
According to a UN count, 333 humanitarian workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the conflict, triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023.
For its part, Doctors Without Borders protested in a press release against the restrictions imposed by Israel in the West Bank, in particular in the so-called “H2” zone, in Hebron. The NGO, which was forced to suspend its activities inside the area for several months, warns that access to health care is “severely compromised and the mental and physical health of the population is in danger and deteriorating”.
