It has been more than two months since the Israeli government closed off all of Gaza’s border crossings, blocking the entry of lifesaving aid supplies and commercial goods. Stocks of food are running out, causing the prices of goods to increase by at least 400 percent and further deepening the humanitarian crisis and starvation across Gaza.
All bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) were closed more than a month ago, and the organization’s food stocks for families in Gaza are now entirely depleted.
“Everyone in Gaza, including our own staff, are facing the same conditions and the same uncertainty of what tomorrow holds,” said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) Country Director. “Everyone with no exception, is now forced to ration their remaining food stocks, surviving on as little as a loaf bread and a small meal of beans. Pregnant women and children are arriving weak and emaciated at our clinic. We’re seeing rising rates of malnutrition, and heartbreaking images of children queuing up at soup kitchens. Flour, a staple on which everyone depends for survival, is increasingly hard to come by, and many people are now consuming spoiled flour.”
CARE has large stocks of medical supplies, hygiene and dignity kits, tents, food and women’s clothes stuck outside the borders in warehouses in Egypt, Jordan and the West Bank. CARE’s primary healthcare center in Deir Al-Balah, which receives hundreds of patients seeking urgent medical care daily, has less than a month’s worth of medical supplies to treat chronic illnesses, infections and medical emergencies.
“Our CARE teams in Gaza are currently focused on continuing to offer primary healthcare services at our clinic in Deir Al-Balah, as well as providing water trucking to displaced communities in need,” said Veldwijk. “Once our pre-positioned supplies are depleted, we will have to start rationing even further to ensure we can prolong service delivery as much as possible. We will not close the doors of our primary healthcare center, but our range of services will be increasingly limited.”
In order to bring relief, the Israeli government must end the siege and aid blockade, facilitate unhindered aid access, and lifesaving supplies to reach people in need across Gaza. A ceasefire is the only way to save lives, secure the release of the hostages, and allow humanitarians to respond at scale.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For media enquiries contact Briony FitzGerald on 0404 117 927
About CARE International
CARE is a leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. From emergency response to long-term sustainable solutions, CARE is known for our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of all people. We work to support women and girls, so we can effectively address the root causes of poverty and create pathways to economic freedom for all. We do this in partnership with men and boys and community leaders locally, regionally, and globally. For nearly 80 years, CARE has been there, from the first CARE Packages® delivering relief in Europe after World War II, to every major global crisis since. Our long-term development programs and trusted local leadership continue to impact the lives of millions of people around the world.
About CARE Australia
CARE Australia is one member of the global CARE Confederation. CARE Australia supports women and girls around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. We work in partnership with local communities to provide equal opportunities for women and girls to be educated and to earn an income, gain access to essential resources like food, health care and clean water, and to be able to withstand and recover from the increasing
impacts of disasters, conflict and other crises. Our programs focus on women and girls because we know when one woman breaks the cycle of poverty she brings four others with her – and that’s a powerful multiplier of impact.
