Oxfam America CEO: Humanitarian Crisis Persists in Gaza and West Bank Despite Ceasefire

Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

• humanitarian crisis is far from over in both Gaza and the West Bank, despite a ceasefire agreement.
• ⚠️ The chokehold on Palestinians across Gaza remains deadly and is tightening, with increased obstructions and obstacles to daily life.

Conditions in the West Bank

• 📍 Systematic dehumanization of Palestinians is evident, with settler violence at an extreme high and over 1,000 blockades implemented.
• 🏠 Families displaced from refugee camps, like in Janine, are unable to return and face severe housing shortages, with some eight-member families living in a single university dorm room.
• 🚫 Basic movements, travel, commerce, and access to jobs are severely restricted, creating an environment that is the opposite of enabling.

Challenges in Gaza

• 💔 Over 350 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, and humanitarian organizations like Oxfam are unable to move essential goods and services.
• 📦 $2.5 million of aid procured by Oxfam is stuck outside Gaza, part of $50 million worth of aid not allowed entry, hindering efforts to provide food, water, and hygiene supplies.
• 💧 The scale of rebuilding required is enormous, encompassing infrastructure, nutrition, water, and hygiene, yet aid has been denied since March, with only a trickle of supplies reaching communities.

Obstacles to Aid Delivery

• 🛂 Entry points into Gaza are limited, and staff require Israeli authorities' approval two weeks in advance, with decisions made the night before.
• 🌍 A maximum of 50 people are allowed in twice a week for support and relief, insufficient for the massive surge of humanitarian aid needed.
• ⛓️ Freedom of movement is blocked for both aid workers and essential goods, both in Gaza and across the West Bank.

International Dialogue and US Role

• 🌍 The international dialogue often misses the reality that the humanitarian crisis is not over, creating a disconnect between policy and on-the-ground needs.
• 🇺🇸 The US government has a unique ability to insist on a permanent ceasefire, unimpeded aid access, an end to the blockade, and justice and accountability.
• 🗣️ There is an urgent need for Palestinian voices to be included at the peace process table and for a true, permanent ceasefire to hold.

Daily Humiliation and Inequality

• 🚶‍♂️ Palestinians in the West Bank face constant humiliation, with roadblocks causing hours of delays and a stranglehold on independent living.
• 🏡 The increase in illegal settlements and visible inequality between Israeli settlers and Palestinian communities, particularly in access to education and resources, is a significant issue.
• 🌾 Evictions from ancestral lands and increasing settler violence, often with impunity, are ongoing problems.