Oxfam is warning that a total siege on
Gaza will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Yesterday’s
announcement from the Israeli government, in response to the
appalling attacks by Hamas, will stop all food, water,
electricity and fuel from reaching an already vulnerable
population. The siege adds to the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which
has endured for 16 years.
The deadliest day in Israel’s history
has left over 1,500 people dead in Israel and Gaza, with many
more injured. It comes in what has already been the deadliest
year in the West Bank and now Gaza. Oxfam has suspended all
of its humanitarian and development work in Gaza due to the
ongoing airstrikes and violence.
Mustafa Tamaizeh, Oxfam Acting Country
Director in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel
said:
“Oxfam is horrified by the recent
attacks. Violence never paves the way for peace. The
international community must use all
diplomatic tools at its disposal to secure an immediate
ceasefire.
“The decision to implement a ‘total
siege’ by the Israeli government, in addition to the ongoing
blockade, will further deny Gazan civilians essentials like food,
water and electricity. This constitutes collective punishment of
a population that bears no responsibility for the violence and is
illegal under international law. It will not contribute to peace
and security, instead, it will further fan the flames of this
crisis.”
The UN has reported there are over
180,000 people currently displaced within Gaza; 135,000 of those
are taking refuge in already crowded UN relief agency schools.
Families are facing dire shortages of food, water and sanitation
facilities, many are trapped in their homes, with nowhere to
flee.
Gaza’s sole power plant, crucial for
running essential services such as water and sanitation, was
already operating for just four hours a day before the escalation
of hostilities. Without fuel, it is on the brink of complete
shutdown, which will have dire consequences for hospitals and
healthcare facilities that rely heavily on generators for vital
medical equipment such as life-support
systems.
Damage from airstrikes have disrupted services to already scarce
water and sanitation facilities for over 400,000
people. The wastewater
treatment plant in northern Gaza has stopped, leading to the
discharge of raw sewage into the sea.
Tamaizeh said:
“It is long past time to break
the cycle of war followed by temporary truces and pledges of
humanitarian aid, which are only sticking plasters. Instead, the
international community must now finally tackle the root causes
of injustice and violence that is being perpetrated under the
occupation.”
Ends
Notes to
editor
Before this weekend, the
UN and humanitarian
partners estimate that 2.1 million Palestinians across the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) - including 80% of the
population in Gaza - depended on humanitarian
assistance.
Figures on the number of people
displaced within Gaza are from the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNWRA) 10th October Situation Report.
Oxfam has been working in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory and Israel since the 1950s and established
a country office in the 1980s. We work with the most vulnerable
communities in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Area C, the 61 per cent
of the West Bank where the government of Israel maintains full
military and civil control.
In Gaza, Oxfam works with Palestinian
women, men and youth to improve their livelihoods and increase
economic opportunities, combat gender-based violence and
inequality and ensure access to basic needs and fundamental
rights through our humanitarian work.
