Humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip is “on the brink of total collapse,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Friday, following two months of Israeli blockade of all assistance.
“If aid does not resume immediately, the ICRC will no longer have access to food, medicine, and essential goods needed to maintain its operations in Gaza,” the ICRC stressed.
“Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the ICRC will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza,” the Committee said in a statement.
Since 2 March, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid from entering the area, home to about 2.4 million people, in an attempt to pressure Hamas into releasing Israeli hostages.
“We cannot allow this already critical situation to worsen,” said Pascal Hundt, ICRC’s Deputy Director of Operations.
If the blockade continues, programmes such as the ICRC’s communal kitchens, which provide many civilians with their sole daily meal, will only be able to continue for a few weeks, according to the press release.
The World Food Programme announced a few days ago that it had exhausted all its supplies.
The ICRC highlighted that, under humanitarian law, Israel is obligated to provide for the basic needs of the civilian population under its control.
The condition in the organisation’s field hospital is also critical.
“Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are reorganising and prioritising their supplies to continue functioning. Without swift resupply, they risk being unable to offer vital care to patients,” said the ICRC. “Immediate action is required, or Gaza will plunge deeper into chaos, from which no humanitarian effort can save it.”
