Countries demand Israel lift Gaza aid restrictions as Palestinians suffer
Al Jazeera
Qatar, Turkiye and six other countries urge ‘unimpeded’ humanitarian access to Gaza as Israel cracks down on aid groups.
Several countries in the Middle East and Asia have called on Israel to allow “immediate, full, and unhindered” deliveries of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as winter storms lash the bombarded Palestinian enclave.
In a statement on Friday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia warned that “deteriorating” conditions in Gaza had left nearly 1.9 million displaced Palestinians particularly vulnerable.
“Flooded camps, damaged tents, the collapse of damaged buildings, and exposure to cold temperatures coupled with malnutrition, have significantly heightened risks to civilian lives,” the statement reads.
They called on the international community “to pressure Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies including tents, shelter materials, medical assistance, clean water, fuel, and sanitation support”.
Israel has maintained stringent restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza despite its obligations under international law to ensure that the basic needs of Palestinians in the enclave are met.
