CAFOD’s statement on Israel’s plan to control and condition the distribution of aid to people in Gaza and call to the UK government to reject the proposed plan and ensure unfettered delivery of aid at scale to those in desperate need.
Elizabeth Funnell, CAFOD’s Country Programme Representative for the Middle East, said:
“Nine weeks of total blockade has prevented almost all supplies reaching Gaza. Israel’s Cabinet decision to expand and intensify its offensive against Gaza will bring further, unimaginable suffering to civilians.
“Israel’s proposal for fundamental changes to the way that aid is delivered in Gaza will further restrict humanitarian access and undermine core principles of humanitarian action. It will put the most vulnerable at even more risk of going without the basics needed for survival.
“We urge the UK Government to publicly reject the proposed plan and take immediate action to ensure the unfettered delivery of aid at scale to those in desperate need in Gaza.”
A CAFOD partner in Gaza describes the dire situation in Gaza:
“We hear reports of people rummaging through garbage for food and of children who die from malnutrition and hunger. Access to clean water, or any water, is nearly impossible in some areas … the impact on health and hygiene is severe.
“Our staff and volunteers are facing challenges to move around, they use donkey carts and walk long distances which exposes them to huge danger with the ongoing, relentless attacks … every single day one of our staff, volunteers, or someone from the communities we serve, is killed or injured. This makes it mentally hard for all of us.”
Notes to editors
CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and part of Caritas Internationalis, working with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to fight poverty and injustice, including those worst hit by climate change. The agency works with people in need, regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality.