NGOs denounce Israel's blocking aid access to Gaza despite the ceasefire.

BarcelonaInternational NGOs denounce that, despite the ceasefire, Israel is "arbitrarily rejecting" the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Since the October 10, when the ceasefire agreed upon with the mediation of Donald Trump came into effectAs of Tuesday, October 21, Israel has denied 99 requests from international NGOs and six requests from UN agencies to bring in aid to a population ravaged by hunger and malnutrition after two years of war, according to these entities in a statement signed by 41 humanitarian organizations.

According to UN data, Israel has authorized an average of 1,011 tons of aid (or 94 trucks) per day since the beginning of the truce, taking into account that during the weekend all entry was suspended for at least 24 hours when the bombings and It seemed that the ceasefire was faltering. These are figures up to Tuesday, October 21, which show that little more aid has arrived compared to the 700 tons (or 62 trucks) that had been allowed in between May 19 and October 9. However, the figure is far from the 600 trucks per day that were planned under the ceasefire agreed at the beginning of the month. From the very first day, Benjamin Netanyahu's government reduced The agreed figure was reduced to 300, arguing that Hamas was not handing over all the bodies. of hostages within the agreed deadlines, but not even these 300 have been met.

Dozens of organizations have tons of aid ready to enter, mainly water, food, tents, and medical supplies. "Alarm is growing as the Israeli authorities reject NGO requests to transport vital aid to Gaza," Oxfam Intermón said in the statement. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that the situation inside Gaza remains "catastrophic" despite the ceasefire "because not enough aid is entering," according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday night.

These accusations come the same week that the UN's International Court of Justice ruled that Israel is obliged, under international law, to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The court has warned Netanyahu's government that it cannot continue using starvation as a weapon of war. The Hague Tribunal's sweeping advisory opinion accuses Israel of violating the UN Charter by ignoring its humanitarian obligations as an occupying power. It also said Israel had failed to provide adequate evidence to justify ending the cooperation with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which is now banned in Israel. The court concluded that the organization is the backbone of all humanitarian assistance in the region, requiring Israel to cooperate with it in good faith. But the Netanyahu government has already rejected the ruling and asserted, according to its Foreign Ministry, that "Israel fully complies with its obligations under international law."

Now, international NGOs are adding more pressure. They report that Israel has blocked at least 17 organizations from entering the Strip, most often claiming they were not authorized to enter Gaza. But the organizations assert that many of them are "agencies that have been registered with the Palestinian and Israeli authorities for years, and that have legal permission to operate from the latter." "They are not new or inexperienced actors," they argue, but in many cases are entities "that have been operating in Gaza for decades." Therefore, the international NGOs accuse Israel of "politicizing" humanitarian aid and demand that the Israeli government "fulfill its commitments." under the ceasefire agreement and international law, and allow humanitarian aid to flow freely" within the Strip.

"More people will die from preventable causes"

"Despite the ceasefire, the population of Gaza continues to suffer enormously, as Israel's two-year genocidal campaign has left them traumatized, injured, and dangerously exposed to the elements with the arrival of winter," Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also denounces, warning that without sufficient and real aid inflows, "more people will die." MSF's emergency coordinator in Gaza, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, recalled that in the south of the Strip, numerous families are still living in makeshift tents, in the open air, or in the few remaining schools, "among rubble, piles of garbage, animal waste, and overflowing sewers."

"Supplies are packed, staff are trained and ready for a large-scale response. What we need now is access. The Israeli authorities must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and the terms of the ceasefire agreement," the NGOs insist in their statement. According to the organizations, nearly $50 million in essential goods from operating international NGOs, including food, medical supplies, hygiene items, and shelter materials, remain stored at Gaza border crossings and in warehouses.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Friday of not complying with the ceasefire agreement and asserted that Hamas is complying. Speaking to the Turkish press on his plane returning from a visit to several Persian Gulf countries, the Turkish leader said that the international community, especially the United States, must do more to ensure that Israel respects the ceasefire. "In this process, it is essential to exert sufficient diplomatic pressure on Israel," he said.