Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
OSLO, SANA — More than 100 international organizations have called on Israel to stop “using humanitarian aid as a weapon” against Palestinians in Gaza, within what they described as a “systematic starvation policy” imposed on them since March.
In a joint statement, the 102 organizations — including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and Oxfam — said Israel has rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza since March. As a result, “food, medicine, water, and other supplies worth millions of dollars have piled up in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt while Palestinians face acute hunger”.
The statement noted that many of the organizations barred by Israel have worked in Gaza for decades, enjoy the trust of local communities, and have proven experience in delivering aid safely.
The organizations warned that excluding them has “deprived hospitals of essential supplies, led to the deaths of children, people with disabilities, and the elderly from hunger and preventable diseases, and forced aid workers themselves to work while hungry”.
They urged all states and donors to “pressure Israel to end the use of aid as a weapon” and for the “immediate and unconditional opening of all land crossings” and the removal of all barriers to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
Israel has kept all crossings into Gaza closed since March, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and plunging the territory into severe famine.
The World Food Programme has previously warned that “one-third of Gaza’s population has not eaten for several days,” describing the humanitarian situation as “unprecedented in its levels of hunger and despair.”
Abdul/
