As humanitarian partners struggle to help Palestinians in Gaza survive, Oxfam is pushing the U.S. to pressure the Israeli government to allow in humanitarian aid.
Humanitarian efforts to help people in Gaza are on the brink of complete collapse, following the re-imposition of a full blockade on March 2nd. Palestinians are facing starvation, displacement, and bombardment, as conditions continue to worsen in the now more than 18-month-old conflict.
With support from Oxfam and others, Palestinian organizations in Gaza are providing food, clean water, basic sanitation, and support for survivors of violence in Gaza. But they are carrying out their work in an increasingly dangerous environment since the end of the most recent ceasefire in March.
“We have had to continue our work, despite the lack of safety, as countless people rely on us for water during these dire times,” says Mohammad Nairab, the executive manager of Palestinian Environmental Friends Association (PEF).
International humanitarian groups are also speaking out about the difficulties facing people in Gaza, and those who are committed to helping them. “Every day, aid workers - the majority of whom are Palestinian - are targeted, detained, obstructed or killed,” reads a statement signed by 24 humanitarian organizations (including Oxfam), released on April 17th.
“People are in terror, fearing for their lives as displacement orders tell them to move with whatever they can carry,” says Clemence Lagouardat, who is leading Oxfam’s humanitarian response Gaza. “We must see an end to this terror and carnage right now, with a lifting of the siege to allow urgent humanitarian aid to reach all of those in need.”
Is aid getting into Gaza?
By preventing all food and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, the government of Israel is starving the population. On April 25th, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it had run out of supplies in Gaza, and was no longer able to support the bakeries and kitchens providing affordable bread and free hot meals.
WFP analysis in April reported “a sharp rise in food prices, high volatility, and significant shortages of essential commodities” following the closure of all crossings in early March. Increasingly scarce food and high prices are creating a deadly combination, particularly for children. Nearly 3,700 children in March were admitted to health facilities for treatment for acute malnutrition, compared to slightly over 2,000 in February, according to figures from the UN.
A recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which monitors famine conditions in multiple countries, says that people in Gaza face a “critical risk of famine. ... The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people ... facing starvation.”
What Oxfam is doing in Gaza
Despite dangerous operating conditions, PEF and other Oxfam partners in Gaza are providing water to people who have been displaced from their homes (in many cases, multiple times). Working with rapidly diminishing resources, they are building or repairing latrines, and delivering soap and other hygiene items that will help people avoid water-borne diseases. In rural areas, Oxfam partners are assisting farmers in need of basics like seeds, tools, and irrigation equipment to re-start agricultural production—part of a long-term effort to head off the threat of famine in Gaza.
Advocating for peace
While our staff continues its work in Gaza, Oxfam America is advocating for the U.S. government to do everything possible to achieve and preserve a permanent ceasefire, secure the release of all remaining hostages, and allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to reach the civilians.
Oxfam has been meeting with members of Congress to update them on the humanitarian situation and urge their support for ending the blockade and protecting the humanitarian delivery system in Gaza.
The U.S. must also stop lethal arms transfers to the Israeli government. The proposed sales of $8.8 billion in offensive weapons to Israel would violate U.S. laws prohibiting sales of weapons to governments that block humanitarian aid or commit violations of human rights.
Global aid cuts also affecting Gaza
The U.S. government has recently stopped more than 80 percent of funds directed to, and laid off staff at, the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID), resulting in a significant reduction of resources available to many of the organizations assisting people in humanitarian emergencies across the globe. In Gaza, these cuts are also affecting several UN agencies (which were already facing budget cuts) that are assisting Palestinians. Oxfam has filed a lawsuit alleging the cancellation of USAID contracts and other measures to cut off lifesaving humanitarian aid violate U.S. law.
Oxfam staff, in collaboration with Oxfam supporters and representatives of civil society organizations directly affected by the international aid cuts, have met with Congressional and State Department staff to advocate for humanitarian assistance funds that can help civilians in Gaza and other emergencies. As part of this effort in Washington, 100 Oxfam Action Network volunteers and Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors (a group of influential women leaders committed to fighting inequality) held 130 meetings on Capitol Hill in March, urging members of Congress to invest in humanitarian aid and economic policies that have the greatest impact on women and girls.
Oxfam is calling on supporters to urge the U.S. government to help achieve a permanent ceasefire and allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza. So far more than 50,000 supporters have sent this powerful message to the president advocating for a ceasefire, the safe return of hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.