Israel fails to comply with US aid access demands in Gaza: Humanitarian groups

GENEVA

International humanitarian groups on Tuesday said that Israel had failed to meet a series of US demands for humanitarian assistance access aiming at improving aid flow into Gaza.

Their statement came as the deadline set by the US for the requests has reached.

On Oct. 13, the US secretaries of state and defense issued a letter demanding that Israel make concrete progress within 30 days on measures to reverse the spiraling humanitarian situation.

"Israel not only failed to meet the U.S. criteria that would indicate support to the humanitarian response, but concurrently took actions that dramatically worsened the situation on the ground, particularly in Northern Gaza," the group of eight organizations, including OXFAM, Save the Children and Norwegian Refugee Council, said in 19-page report.

"That situation is in an even more dire state today than a month ago," they lamented.

They said: "People are being starved in Gaza: Israeli military operations have denied them critical food aid and basic necessities, which has, in turn, caused conditions approaching famine for 800,000 Palestinian civilians across Gaza.

"Conditions are worst in Gaza’s north, where Israel launched a major operation in October that has cut off humanitarian aid to the area."

They cited the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's recent assessment, which stated that "the entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine, and violence."

"Israel should be held accountable for the end result of failing to ensure the adequate provision of food, medical, and other supplies to reach people in need," they urged.

Louise Wateridge, UNRWA's senior emergency officer in Gaza, briefed reporters in Geneva from central Gaza, saying the volume of aid currently entering the besieged enclave is "the lowest in months," while access to the north is becoming almost "impossible" as no UNRWA personnel have been able to access it in over a month.

When asked about a Tuesday deadline set last month by the US for Israel to improve the aid situation in the enclave, the UNRWA official said, instead, "aid supplies have lessened."

"Anything that happens now is already too late," she said, adding that thousands and thousands of people have been already killed "senselessly" because of lack of aid, bombings and being trapped under rubble.