Aid organizations demand: Immediate help for Gaza is urgently needed!

Aid organizations demand: Immediate help for Gaza is urgently needed!

The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is dramatic. German aid organizations are urgently calling for better access to people in need in the region. According to Susanne Wesemann, head of Johanniter foreign aid, the health system there has collapsed. The situation is further exacerbated by the need for Israeli government approval for unhindered access to the affected areas, as [Regiojournal] reports.

Christian Reuter, general secretary of the German Red Cross, warns that the trucks carrying aid supplies could be stormed if sufficient fuel and food do not arrive. Lara Dovifat from Doctors Without Borders also highlights the constant lack of resources. The organization Cadus reports extreme restrictions on the number of people who can cross the border. Decisions about border crossings are made by the Israeli authorities, often without justification for refusals.

Medical care in a desolate condition

The situation in hospitals is just as worrying. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 14 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functioning, and key facilities, such as the European Gaza Hospital, are inaccessible because they are in Israeli-controlled areas. In addition, according to [Ärzteblatt], there were massive problems with medical care. Blocked shipments of medicines and medical equipment relate to the fact that only two out of seven border crossings are open, and each shipment must be approved individually.

The WHO also reports enormous difficulties in accessing urgently needed health resources. One example is the attempts to bring eight mobile X-ray machines to the Gaza Strip, which took more than two and a half years. There are only two computer tomographs in the entire Gaza Strip, which significantly limits the urgently needed medical care capacity.

Humanitarian aid and its challenges

Beyond the medical shortage, food and other essential goods are also in short supply. Almost $50 million in aid is stored at the crossings but cannot be distributed due to restrictions. According to [ZDF], access to Gaza for journalists and aid organizations is severely restricted. The infrastructure has been largely destroyed and many people have lost their livelihoods. The situation is so precarious that over 96% of the population in the Gaza Strip has no income.

Donations must be carefully monitored in this confusing situation, as there is hardly any guarantee of control as to whether this aid actually benefits those in need. It is particularly critical when aid is diverted from Hamas, even if there is no evidence of widespread misuse. Despite these challenges, aid organizations are trying to provide support in areas such as food supplies, medical treatment and emergency shelter, which is particularly important for children and vulnerable groups.

The human suffering in the Gaza Strip requires, more than ever, unhindered access for aid organizations in order to save lives and improve the living conditions of the affected population. The unity of the international community in these times of crisis will be crucial to effectively deliver the most necessary assistance.