The realities on the ground in Rafah
Published 7th May 2024
The killing of seven World Central Kitchen staff on April 1st 2024, brought significant attention to the extreme insecurity Palestinian and international aid workers and civilians alike have faced in Gaza since October 7th. The attack showed that: no one is safe in Gaza. On April 6th, following the outcry of Member States, the Government of Israel made seven commitments in a reported effort to increase humanitarian access into Gaza.
As humanitarian agencies with staff in Gaza working around the clock under impossible conditions, we note that the majority of the announced measures have not been implemented, nor has a timeline for implementation been announced. Even if fully met, the realisation of these commitments alone would still not provide the conditions for safe, unhindered, principled humanitarian access. To roll back six months of starvation and the collapse of all services and infrastructure amid catastrophic conditions requires much more than mere logistical facilitation: what is needed is a massive flow of humanitarian aid and an immediate and sustained ceasefire.
Only an immediate, sustained ceasefire, full adherence to international humanitarian law, and the opening of all entry points to Gaza for humanitarian and commercial supplies, including for banking, will allow civilians’ basic human needs to be met.
