ICRC says Israel has ‘obligation’ to meet the needs of Palestinians struggling to survive.
The humanitarian response in Gaza is on the verge of “total collapse”, with Palestinians facing a “daily struggle to survive” amid Israel’s war and blockade of the enclave, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The ICRC issued the warning on Friday, adding to the urgent pleas from international aid institutions for a deal that would see Israel agree to a ceasefire and the reopening of humanitarian corridors in exchange for the release of captives by Hamas.
Without an immediate resumption of aid deliveries, the Red Cross “will not have access to the food, medicines, and life-saving supplies needed to sustain many of its programmes in Gaza”, the ICRC said in a statement.
Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid which is vital for the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, amid bombardment that has displaced the majority, devastated the enclave and killed more than 52,000.
Israel closed access for aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, two weeks before the collapse of the ceasefire that had started in January and ran for about six weeks.
The ICRC warned that if the blockade continues, its humanitarian operations in Gaza, particularly the distribution of food, “will only be able to operate for a few more weeks”.
Under international humanitarian law, it added, Israel has an “obligation to use all means available” to ensure that the needs of Palestinian civilians under its control are met.
“Civilians in Gaza are facing an overwhelming daily struggle to survive the dangers of hostilities, cope with relentless displacement, and endure the consequences of being deprived of urgent humanitarian assistance,” Pascal Hundt, ICRC deputy chief of operations, said.
“This situation must not – and cannot – be allowed to escalate further.”
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of humanitarian catastrophe, with famine looming as the blockade continues.
On Friday, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for the Palestinian refugees (UNWRA), said the Israeli siege is collectively punishing children, women, older people and men in Gaza.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Amjad Shawwa of the Palestinian NGOs Network warned that the situation in Gaza is worsening quickly for the tens of thousands of children, and that many would likely die due to malnutrition.
On Friday, Israel continued its bombardment of the enclave. Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 22 Palestinians had been killed in Israeli air raids since dawn, with attacks on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza and the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood in the northwest of Gaza City.