The Critical Situation Unfolding in Gaza

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As the first phase of the ceasefire unfolds, humanitarian organisations in Gaza say the amount of aid entering the enclave needs to rapidly increase, in order to meet Palestinians’ humanitarian needs.

Alexandra Saieh, head of humanitarian policy and advocacy at Save the Children International, told SBS News that while the assault has ceased for now, threats to safety are still present, including limited access to clean drinking water.

“The situation on the ground in Gaza is still an absolute humanitarian catastrophe. The bombs have stopped, the shooting has stopped, but the threats to children are still there,” she said.

“There is rampant malnutrition. There is disease that has spread, including diarrhoea. There is still no shelter for children and their families.”

Equipment to clear roads is an immediate priority, Saieh said, as rubble is preventing aid from reaching some of the people who need it most.

The current conditions in Gaza have rendered many roads completely impassable, significantly hindering the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid, according to aid workers on the ground. The region is grappling with a severe crisis, and aid organizations are urging for an increased flow of assistance to address the escalating humanitarian needs.

The UN has also communicated the need to shore up its shelter provisions for families ahead of winter, as well as restore Gaza’s decimated medical system.

The first phase of the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has included a hostage-prisoner exchange and the first stop to Israel’s bombardment of the enclave in months.

On Monday, the 20 remaining living Israeli hostages abducted from southern Israel on 7 October 2023, were freed in exchange for thousands of Palestinians jailed in Israel, including those who had been detained without charge under “administrative detention” policies by the Israeli army in Gaza during the war.

The exchange was one of the first key stages of an agreement seeking to end the two-year war.

Despite these pressing concerns, Israeli officials have dismissed claims of starvation in Gaza. Meanwhile, Oxfam’s efforts to provide relief have been stymied, with none of their aid trucks allowed entry so far this week, attributed to what has been described as “administrative obstructions,” according to Oxfam’s spokesperson, Goldsmith.

In a recent development, an Israeli security official indicated that the Rafah crossing might soon open to Gazan citizens, following the return of more Israeli bodies by a militant group. While Israel announced on Thursday that it was preparing for this reopening, the specifics remain unclear, particularly whether it will facilitate the movement of both people and aid.

The ramping up of humanitarian aid into Gaza was outlined in the ceasefire agreement, with 600 aid trucks permitted to enter Gaza daily and the ability to travel freely between north and south Gaza on the two main roads.

However, aid organisations say the number of trucks permitted to enter is insufficient.

Israel’s two-year air and ground assault against Palestinian militant group Hamas drove almost all of Gaza’s 2.2 million people from their homes, and famine is present in the north, according to the United Nations-backed global hunger monitor.

But Israeli officials have denied that starvation is occurring in Gaza.

Vast swathes of the narrow, heavily urbanised coastal territory have been reduced to a wasteland by Israeli bombardments and airstrikes that have killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel’s war with Hamas was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Lucia Goldsmith, head of humanitarian at Oxfam Australia, told SBS News that while some aid has been able to get through so far this week, it is “not at the level that’s needed to really address the scale of the needs and to begin any sort of meaningful reconstruction at this stage”.

Goldsmith said no Oxfam trucks have been permitted to enter Gaza so far this week due to “administrative obstructions”.

Tom Fletcher, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, has called for over 50 international NGOs to be allowed to bring aid into Gaza, saying the UN “cannot deliver the scale necessary without their presence and their engagement”.

Humanitarian organisations are also calling for Israel to reopen all crossing points into Gaza to ensure deliveries can be effectively spread across the strip.

The Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to reopen, but a date has not been set, after a delay imposed by Israel over what it called Hamas’ slowness to return bodies of dead hostages under the ceasefire deal.

However, after the militant group returned more Israeli bodies, an Israeli security official said preparations were underway to open Rafah to Gazan citizens.

“We need all the crossing points to be open and for aid to enter unrestricted,” Saieh said.

“That still hasn’t happened yet. We have seen a definite progress, but we need that progress to continue over the coming days and weeks.”

Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening but it was not clear whether it would be opened only for the movement of people or also aid.

Aid priorities

Goldsmith and Saieh said there are clear priorities as the first aid deliveries are made under the new ceasefire conditions.

Organisations are rushing to bring in hygiene products such as soap and menstrual products, gas for cooking, medical supplies and equipment and fuel to power medical facilities as well as other infrastructure.

Goldsmith said Oxfam is prioritising water and sanitation, and their teams are looking to make deliveries of clean water, as well as equipment such as pumps and pipes to rebuild systems.

“A lot of that infrastructure has been destroyed and people are relying, to a large extent, on water trucking and so that’s something that Oxfam has been providing for displaced communities,” she said.

Eighty years to rebuild

The scale of destruction in Gaza is immense and the UN has reported 78 per cent of the Gaza Strip’s buildings have been partially or fully destroyed during the two-year onslaught.

A report released by the UN Development Programme earlier this year estimated it could take 80 years to fully rebuild all of Gaza’s housing.

While aid organisations are rushing to provide immediate support to the area, Goldsmith said Oxfam also has a road map for longer-term assistance, including infrastructure repairs, ensuring food markets become functional again and helping to restore livelihoods.

Humanitarian organisations will also look to provide ongoing psychosocial care, which refers to emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.

“Regardless of what happens, those needs will remain for the foreseeable future,” Goldsmith said.

But she said those plans assume the ceasefire will hold in the long term.

“I think that’s the major concern is that there’s still a lot that we don’t know and hasn’t been sort of worked out in terms of comprehensive settlement of this conflict,” Goldsmith said.

A fragile ceasefire

Humanitarian organisations say the ceasefire deal now needs to be sustained for aid efforts to be effective.

In a statement published earlier this week, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said António Guterres called on “all parties to consolidate the ceasefire and transform it into lasting peace” as the first steps were taken in “stabilising conditions” in the area.

“The needs remain vast, and sustained access and funding are critical,” Dujarric said.

Israel has said the next phase of the truce calls for Hamas to disarm and cede power, which it has so far refused to do.

It has launched a security crackdown, parading its power in the Gaza Strip through public executions and clashes with local clans.

Longer-term elements of the ceasefire plan, including how the enclave will be governed, the make-up of an international “stabilisation force” and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state, have yet to emerge.

Saieh said everyone on their team is “holding their breath” about the ceasefire holding, although there is “cautious hope” among many.

“People are still in disbelief that the nightmare they have faced over the last two years could actually finally be over,” she said.

“You know, the last couple of days have finally granted some reprieve and space for families to grieve loved ones, to mourn the deaths of their families,” Saieh said.

Goldsmith warned continuing uncertainty around the ceasefire may hamper reconstruction efforts in the enclave.

“Governments and investors will be reluctant to pay for any sort of major and significant work without that guarantee that it can be sustained.”

— With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.