UK aid agencies have called on members of the Mid-East Quartet to end its complacency by putting the highest diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government to lift the blockade on Gaza.
The Quartet, (the US, Russia, EU and UN), which met in London on May 2, is also called on to pressure Israel to allow in adequate supplies to stop an impending humanitarian crisis.
The agencies, including Christian Aid, Oxfam, CARE International UK, CAFOD and Medecins du Monde UK, said that the stranglehold on Gaza’s borders has made life for ordinary people in Gaza intolerable.
Intolerable
The work of the UN and other humanitarian agencies has been made virtually impossible. Only a trickle of medicine, food, fuel and other goods is being allowed in.
It has made people highly dependent on food aid, and brought the health system and basic services such as water and sanitation near to collapse.
Two months ago, the agencies released a detailed report saying conditions in Gaza were the worst since 1967.
Now it is worse still. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) last week was forced to temporarily suspend the distribution of food aid to 650,000 people due to lack of fuel and has reported that 300,000 people only have drinking water for 4 hours every 4 days.
No fuel
Meanwhile, rubbish from one million people piles up in the streets because there is no fuel to collect it.
'It’s time for the people with moral responsibility and international authority to take decisive action. This is a critical first step towards a viable peace,' said Daleep Mukarji, Director of Christian Aid UK.
There are three essential elements that the Quartet needs to address.
A guarantee that all the fuel Gaza needs will be delivered and that fuel will no longer be withheld to punish the people of Gaza for illegal acts they cannot control
Clearance of food, medicines, spare parts for water systems and hospital equipment and everyday items such as toilet rolls, sanitary pads and paper for school books that have no security relevance but have been banned by Israel from entering Gaza
To secure full re-opening of all crossings for passage of goods and of people.