Israel urged to lift aid blockade in Gaza

Officials from multiple United Nations agencies have urged a "humanitarian reset" for Israel to lift its two-month-long aid blockade in Gaza, amid the worsening famine for more than 2 million Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Israel has refused to heed these calls in an attempt to pressure Hamas to release all remaining hostages. International aid agencies and a growing number of countries have appealed to Israel seeking reversal of its decision amid widespread reports of depleting food, medical aid and other lifesaving supplies.

UNICEF said on Tuesday that 1.7 million Palestinian children need humanitarian assistance and that more than 770 schools — 95 percent of Gaza's total — had sustained damage.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Thursday that the global aid system "must undergo a humanitarian reset".

"Yes, the hostages must be released now. They should never have been taken from their families. But international law is unequivocal: As the occupying power, Israel must allow humanitarian support in," he said.

"Aid, and the civilian lives it saves, should never be a bargaining chip."

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli operations had displaced 40,000 people, severely affecting families' daily lives, safety and access to healthcare, education and other essential services, UNICEF said.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the situation in Gaza had become "catastrophically bad".

The violence is "driving an influx of casualties to a health system that is already on its knees", which is compounded by a sharp drop in funding support, he said. "We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory."

In addition, Fletcher reiterated that the humanitarian movement "is independent, impartial and neutral" and that "all civilians are equally worthy of protection".

He said the relief agency would remain "ready to save as many lives as we can" despite the risks. "To the Israeli authorities and those who can still reason with them, we say again: lift this brutal blockade. Let humanitarians save lives."

Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir had evaluated the key situations faced by the military regarding aid, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Zamir's reported position is that the IDF cannot allow Palestinian civilians to starve, cannot be directly involved in distributing food aid, and cannot allow Hamas to control the food aid.

jan@chinadailyapac.com