— The tragic situation of civilians in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating with the arrival of winter and heavy rainfall, said a statement published on the website of the British Foreign Office. The document was signed by the ministers of foreign affairs of Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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One million people without shelter
According to the data contained in the statement, as many as 1.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip urgently need better shelter. At the same time, only half of health care facilities are operational, which significantly limits access to basic medical services. The situation is further aggravated by the risk of flooding, which affects 740,000 people. people. Damaged water and sewage infrastructure poses a risk of spilling waste, which may lead to an outbreak of an epidemic.
The truce improved the situation, but aid continued to be restricted
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is a consequence of almost two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, which holds power in the territory. A ceasefire has been in force since October 10, under which the inflow of humanitarian aid has been increased. Nevertheless, as Western diplomats stressed, aid deliveries still face numerous obstacles.
The statement called on Israel to lift “unjustified restrictions” that hamper the delivery of essential products such as medical equipment and construction materials. Currently, the ban covers goods considered to be dual-use, which diplomats say is one of the main reasons for the difficulties.
Aid organizations lose their licenses
The ministers also called for the continued operation of international humanitarian organizations in the Gaza Strip. As noted, the Israeli government refused to renew the licenses of some of them, arguing that they had not met the new administrative requirements. Aid organizations warn that these criteria are unclear and can be used for political purposes, which significantly limits their ability to act.
UN report: improvement, but the threat of malnutrition remains
The statement also recalled the results of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which was published in December with the support of the UN. It shows that although the ceasefire has brought some improvement in the situation in the Gaza Strip, most of its inhabitants still struggle with malnutrition.
