Joint statement from the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark,
Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and
the United Kingdom on Gaza
We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,
Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United
Kingdom express serious concerns about the renewed deterioration
of the humanitarian situation in Gaza which remains catastrophic.
As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing
appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures
dropping. 1.3 million people still require urgent
shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only
partially functional and face shortages of essential medical
equipment and supplies. The total collapse
of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000
people vulnerable to toxic flooding.
On 19 December, the IPC published their latest report which
showed that while there has been some improvement since the
dire reports of famine in August, the
situation remains desperate. The majority of the
population (1.6 million people) in the Gaza Strip face high
levels of acute food insecurity. Whilst the amount
of aid going into Gaza has increased since the ceasefire,
the response remains severely constrained by
persistent impediments on humanitarian access.
We welcome the important progress that has been made to end the
bloodshed in Gaza, secure the release of the hostages and turn
the page on two terrible years of conflict. We also call for the
remains of the final deceased hostage to be handed over swiftly,
and for Hamas to disarm and renounce violence in line with the
New York Declaration and UNSCR 2803 endorsing the Comprehensive
Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
However, we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in
Gaza. We are therefore calling on the Government of Israel to
take the following urgent and essential steps:
Firstly, ensure that international NGOs are able to operate
in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way. As 31 December
approaches, many established international NGO partners are at
risk of being deregistered because of the Government of Israel's
restrictive new
requirements. Deregistration could result in
the forced closure of INGO operations within 60 days in
Gaza and the West Bank. This would have
a severe impact on access to essential services
including healthcare. 1 in 3 healthcare facilities in
Gaza will close if INGOs operations are
stopped. INGOs are integral to the humanitarian
response and - working with the UN and Palestinian
organisations - collectively deliver approximately $1
billion in aid across Palestine each year.
Any attempt to stem their ability to operate is
unacceptable. Without them, it will be impossible to
meet all urgent needs at the scale required.
Secondly, ensure the UN and its partners can
continue their vital work. This is essential to ensure
the impartial, neutral, and independent delivery of aid
throughout the whole of Gaza. This
includes UNRWA, which provides essential services,
such as healthcare and education, to millions of Palestinian
refugees.
Thirdly, lift unreasonable restrictions on imports
considered to have a dual use. This includes urgently needed
medical and shelter equipment. The restrictions are holding up
essential supplies in every sector and preventing the
rehabilitation and repair of critical infrastructure.
Finally, open crossings and boost the flows of humanitarian aid
into Gaza. We welcome the partial opening
of the Allenby crossing, but other
corridors for moving goods to
Gaza remain closed or severely
restricted for humanitarian aid. This includes Rafah,
which was noted explicitly in the Comprehensive Plan to End the
Gaza Conflict. Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive
screenings are causing delays, while
commercial cargo is being allowed in more
freely. The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including
an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a
ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be
sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale
needed.
Together, these restrictions limit the capacity for aid to be
delivered at the scale needed, in accordance with
international humanitarian law, or for repairs to be made to
support recovery and reconstruction efforts. We now urge the
Government of Israel to remove these humanitarian
access constraints, and to deliver and honour the Comprehensive
Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. This is necessary for an effective
humanitarian response, successful recovery and reconstruction and
lasting peace and stability.
