Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1516608
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza why they don't have enough food. "My sons are hardly earning any mon- ey and we can't find or afford even ba- sic food. There is nothing and the little there is unaffordable. My mother can- not comprehend this; she thinks we are neglecting her. I have come to the point that I wish my own mother died rath- er than see her suffer thinking we are neglecting her. All around me people are broken because they can't feed their children, their families, and I am una- ble to offer them any useful advice or support because I, myself, am broken," she said. Israeli protesters demanding the gov- ernment stops allowing aid into Gaza until the hostages are freed have repeat- edly blocked access to the Karem Abu Salem crossing, forcing it to close re- peatedly, sometimes for multiple days. Such disruptions do not relieve Israeli authorities of their obligation to take necessary measures to maintain unhin- dered flow of aid. Other access points and crossings exist. Some were closed by Israel af- ter 7 October. Others have been kept closed for years by Israel. Israel tight- ly controls what enters and exits Gaza, including people and goods, as part of its illegal blockade, which has become significantly more suffocating in recent months. The situation is particularly dire in the north of the Strip, which Israel has effectively cut off from the rest of Gaza. Between 1 January and 12 Febru- ary, OCHA reported Israel had denied permission to more than half of the re- quests by humanitarians to access the north. On 6 February, OCHA reported Israel had granted none of the UN's 22 requests to open checkpoints early, in- cluding to access areas north of Wadi Gaza. On 21 February, one of the aid workers interviewed said: "There's basically no access [to the north]. We had the cease- fire in November where we pushed a lot of trucks north. Other than that we have not been able to get trucks north at any scale. In 2024, it has been even less. Some people are already starving." Blocking and delaying life-saving sup- plies while people starve Israel continues to tightly restrict the import of essential supplies to Gaza. All imports to Gaza must be pre-approved by Israeli authorities. In February, hu- manitarians continued to describe fre- quent, unpredictable and "arbitrary" rejections and limitations. Israeli officials repeatedly blame hu- manitarian organizations for any gaps in aid delivery, alleging they are inca- pable of dispatching and distributing more aid, or due to looting in Gaza. But humanitarians described an array of ways in which Israeli authorities im- pede their work. They offered a list of basic steps Israel has failed to take to facilitate aid delivery: from allowing in sufficient and essential supplies, which they regularly reject; to opening check- points earlier, which authorities have repeatedly refused; to respecting basic security guarantees for aid convoys, aid workers and aid offices, which have in- stead come under recurrent attack. In addition to goods, Gaza desperate- ly needs fuel to allow people to purify water, process food and run medical equipment, like incubators. Since 11 October, Gaza has been under an elec- tricity blackout as a result of Israel cut- ting off Gaza's electricity supply. Israel also completely blocked the import of fuel from early October until 18 No- vember 2023. While it has now allowed some fuel to enter Gaza, the quanti- ties remain jarringly insufficient. As of late-February, Israeli authorities also continued to regularly reject humani- tarian requests to bring in other pow- er sources, like solar panels, generators and batteries. "No human beings should be forced to suffer the inhumane conditions Gazans are being subjected to. Instead of lifting their brutal blockade, Israeli authori- ties are planning to escalate their at- tacks with a deadly military operation into Rafah that will have horrific con- sequences for civilians and risks cut- ting off the only lifeline for aid entering Gaza. Only an immediate and sustained ceasefire can save lives and ensure that the ICJ's provisional measures, includ- ing the delivery of lifesaving aid, can be implemented," said Heba Morayef. "Instead, the USA has, for a third time, vetoed a UN Security Council resolu- tion demanding an immediate cease- fire, effectively greenlighting more killings and mass suffering of Pales- tinians. Countries with influence over the Israeli government, including the USA, UK, Germany and other allies must not stand by and watch as Pales- tinian civilians die preventable deaths due to bombardment, lack of food and water, the spread of diseases and lack of healthcare. In light of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, these states' sup- port for Israel's actions, including its flouting of the ICJ's ruling, is indefensi- ble and could violate their obligation to prevent genocide." Amnesty International is also calling on states to ensure that UNRWA re- ceives adequate funding to continue its operations after a number of states suspended funding to the organization based on allegations that some of its members took part in the 7 October at- tack. UNRWA has long served as a sole lifeline for Palestinian refugees in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East of- fering indispensable humanitarian aid, shelter and education. All states must uphold their obligation to prevent genocide by taking urgent steps to ensure Israel complies with the ICJ's provisional measures, including by pressing Israel to rapidly open up access to Gaza and end its brutal blockade once and for all. All states must also immedi- ately end the transfer of arms to Israel, as recently asked by 24 UN Experts. Palestinian family members on their way to Rafah hoping to find safety after migrating from Nuseirat due to intense Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip Israel has not only woefully failed to provide for Gazans' basic needs, but it has also been blocking and impeding the passage of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip, in particular to the north which is virtually inaccessible, in a clear show of contempt for the ICJ ruling and in flagrant violation of its obligation to prevent genocide