Joint statement by
CARE International and Save the Children on the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
JERUSALEM (January 21, 2009) – CARE and Save the Children today expressed
concern about the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and announced that they are prevented from scaling up their emergency response because of restrictions on humanitarian access and movement
of international non-governmental organisations into Gaza. The two global agencies are calling for immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid and staff into Gaza to meet the critical and
growing needs of the population, more than half of whom are children.Since the escalation of violence, the agencies have not been allowed to send any staff and have been limited in sending
aid into Gaza. Additional humanitarian workers are required to support the aid workers already in Gaza, who have been working throughout the conflict under extremely difficult conditions. Most
of the population has been without basic services and supplies for nearly a month. The agencies are stressing that the essential supplies needed to respond to the scale of the crisis, including
food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits and reconstruction materials, are not available in sufficient supply in Gaza’s local markets. The agencies applaud the statements of John
Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, regarding the urgent need for humanitarian access, and ask him to negotiate a removal of this
barrier to effective humanitarian action during his visit to the region to assess the humanitarian situation on Thursday, 22 January.“Gaza’s devastation has not only been caused
by the recent three-week conflict. Humanitarian aid organizations have been denied access to the Gaza since 4 November, and this is utterly impeding our ability to respond to the humanitarian disaster
we are faced with today,” said Martha Myers, Country Director for CARE International in the West Bank and Gaza. “The 18-month blockade of Gaza has left the population weakened and
completely unprepared to recover from the current crisis without outside help.”“The threat of violence may be diminished, but the children of Gaza are no less vulnerable. Indeed
the health and well-being of an even greater number of children are at risk,” said Annie Foster, Team Leader for Save the Children’s emergency response in Gaza. “We need to move
quickly to get life-saving aid to babies, children and their families. Open access into Gaza will allow us to ramp up our relief operations.”The organisations also renewed their call
for a permanent and negotiated ceasefire, paving the way for a durable peace that will benefit all children and families both within Gaza and Israel.
Sudanese children, wearing the colours of the national flag ,demonstrate outside the United Nations office in the South Darfur town of Nyala, January 21, 2009. Darfur fighters who signed a peace ...
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