27 Nov 2023
Monica Orach - DRC Protection Officer in South Sudan
Over the last two weeks, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has intensified significantly including attacks around and on the Al Shifa hospital that have put patients at risk and killed medical personnel. Hospitals have run out of fuel and medical supplies, premature babies in incubators are dying, people cannot access treatment and families are starving. More than 14,000 people have been killed, the majority being women and children. And due to the intense military bombardment, the Gaza strip is now littered with dangerous explosive remnants of war, making life even more risky for the population.
While more trucks of aid have been entering Gaza recently, the amount of aid falls well short of what was entering before, let alone what is needed now. The people of Gaza need more assistance than can be provided within a four-day pause, they need aid to enter unhindered.
This politization of aid must stop, accountability for the violations of International Humanitarian law must take place. The international community must use its influence to ensure these next four-days are more than just a small pause in this humanitarian catastrophe unfolding and continue efforts towards securing a lasting ceasefire. The preservation of human life should stand above all else.