FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C. - November 14, 2024

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Release of Gaza Humanitarian Access Snapshot #7:  Humanitarian aid in Gaza has fallen to an all-time low, with at least 20 aid workers killed in the last month

RAMALLAH, 14 November, 2024 – Aid organizations warn that humanitarian aid entering Gaza has plummeted to the lowest level in over a year, amid Israel’s renewed siege on northern Gaza and despite demands from the US government to improve the situation. Palestinians in northern Gaza have been effectively severed from all remaining lifelines. The population is facing starvation, severe shortages of clean water, and scarcity of essential supplies, all of which are driving desperation and theft of aid supplies, which in many cases occurs without intervention from Israeli forces. 

The worsening security situation due to Israeli bombardment, siege, and forced displacement orders is also hindering efforts to distribute aid. The latest humanitarian snapshot, produced by 30 NGOs operating in Gaza reported that during the reporting period (10 October - 13 November) Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 of their aid workers. Staff were killed in their homes, in displacement camps, and while delivering life-saving aid. The aid workers killed were both living in areas under forced displacement orders, such as Jabalia and Beit Lahia, but also in the Israeli-declared “humanitarian zone”, emphasizing that nowhere is safe for Palestinians, even if they move to areas Israel orders them to.  

Palestinian and international organizations reported that nearly all movements into and around northern Gaza were impeded, canceled or delayed by Israeli authorities. Aid organizations working in the north through Palestinian partner organizations also had to cease operations in areas of northern Gaza, including Jabalia and Beit Lahia, due to Israeli bombardment, and forced displacement.

The impacts of these restrictions and obstruction of aid delivery are severe and catastrophic, as the humanitarian situation deteriorates across all touch points. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released an urgent alert on 8 November reporting that there is a strong likelihood that famine is already occurring in northern Gaza, and that immediate action is required within days, not weeks, to address the crisis. An average of only 37 humanitarian trucks per day entered Gaza in October, and an average of 69 per day during the first week of November. This is still well below the average of 500 per day which entered Gaza per working day before 7 October 2023, and was insufficient then to meet the needs of the population. 

“Northern Gaza is facing a policy of forced starvation. The Global community must put pressure on Israel to not only facilitate the delivery of aid to the tens of thousands of civilians who are stuck there but also to stop the bombing of aid workers and aid distribution sites. We must call on our communities, churches, and governments to do more to remedy the dire situation we find ourselves in today.” - Kyle Cristofalo, Senior Director of Advocacy & Government Relations of Churches for Middle East Peace.

You can read the full report HERE or below.

Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.

Recent CMEP Statements and Press Releases:

Nov 12, 2024 Letter to President Biden to Change U.S. – Israel Policy
CMEP and dozens of other organizations call on President Biden to change the U.S. policy vis-a-vis Israel during the outgoing days of his presidential term. The letter calls on President Biden to acknowledge that the U.S. policy towards Israel has failed and further eroded U.S. interests in the region. It also calls on the President to hold Israel accountable before the law and halt weapons shipments until Israel properly facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Oct 24, 2024 Joint Statement – Open Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel and End to Impunity
Churches for Middle East Peace joined more than 150 international NGOs in calling for UN Member States to immediately secure a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and across the region. The statement makes clear that “Governments must do everything in their power to end this growing catastrophe and cycle of impunity. It is not only a moral imperative but a legal obligation.” A full copy of the statement and list of signatories is available here.

Oct 24, 2024 Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) on the U.S. to Broker a Regional Ceasefire and Prevent Further Escalation in Lebanon and Beyond
In the last few weeks, the people of the Middle East have seen the intensification of what has been a regional war for months involving Israel, the Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and Yemen. The ongoing violence, especially Israel’s relentless aggression and bombardment of Lebanon, has resulted in the tragic loss of over 2,000 lives, including more than 100 women and children, as well as at least 28 healthcare and rescue workers and journalists. Its imminent invasion of Lebanon threatens to create a major humanitarian catastrophe.

See all of our public statements and press releases.