Global inaction over Gaza 'a stain on international community': NRC

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
29 Feb 2024 16:17
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The leader of a Norway-based NGO has conveyed a deep sense of shock and concern following his visit to witness the dire humanitarian conditions in Rafah.

Palestinians examine the location of Israeli bombardment in Rafah on February 9, 2024. (AFP)

The leader of a Norway-based NGO, Jan Egeland, expressed profound shock after witnessing the dire humanitarian conditions in Rafah, southern Gaza, resulting from the Israeli months-long genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.

During his visit to a school accommodating approximately 4,500 forcibly displaced Palestinians from Gaza City and nearby Khan Younis, Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), shared his dismay over the living conditions they endure.

In a post on X, he highlighted the challenging circumstances faced by the disabled, pregnant women, and newborns, emphasizing the severe limitations, such as sharing 18 toilets among 4,500 individuals. Egeland pointed out the prevalent issues of malnutrition, epidemic diseases, and widespread trauma in the area.

Shocked by conditions at this school in Rafah, #Gaza. 4500 here come from Gaza City, Khan Younis etc. The disabled, the pregnant and the newborn share18 latrines with 4500 others. Malnutrition, epidemic disease and trauma is everywhere. NRC providing all the aid we can get in. pic.twitter.com/k5jonz2rld
— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) February 28, 2024

Egeland strongly criticized "Israel" and its allies for conducting a continuous and brutal assault on the besieged civilian population of Gaza. He characterized it as a “stain on an international community,” highlighting the collective failure to secure any form of restraint or humanitarian access in the region.

In an interview for CNN, he warned that “people are traumatized beyond belief and live under the most horrific condition.”

In a prior post from the Rafah border crossing into Gaza, Egeland mentioned that hundreds of aid trucks were queued up, ready to enter the Palestinian territory and assist a population facing severe hunger. Describing the process of allowing aid into Gaza as "flawed", he stated that the system is broken. He urged "Israel" to address and rectify the situation for the well-being of the innocent civilians in need.

Hundreds of aid trucks wait in line to cross into Gaza at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings to a starving civilian population. There has not been a single day we have gotten the needed 500 trucks across. The system is broken and Israel could fix it for the sake of the innocent pic.twitter.com/dMb9gTbchJ
— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) February 28, 2024

These remarks come as more than 100 people were killed in a massacre committed by Israeli occupation forces in al-Rashid Street, to the west of Gaza City,

Tens of others were wounded in the attack that targeted Palestinian civilians who were waiting in line to receive aid packages in the northern Gaza Strip, a field source from the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen.

Israeli armored vehicles and tanks also ran over the bodies of several martyrs, while others fired incendiary shells toward civilians in the area, according to the commander.

UN sounds alarm: 'Israel' systematically blocking aid access to Gaza

The United Nations has lately reported that Israeli forces are systematically impeding access to individuals in need in Gaza, creating challenges in delivering aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Jens Laerke, the spokesperson for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, stated during a press briefing in Geneva that conducting medical evacuations and aid deliveries in northern Gaza has become unfeasible. The spokesperson added that humanitarian operations in the southern part of Gaza are also facing escalating difficulties.

“Aid convoys have come under fire and are systematically denied access to people in need, (meaning) humanitarian workers are subject to unacceptable and preventable risk,” Laerke said.

Humanitarian agencies providing aid to Gaza reported that even convoys that have received prior clearance from Israeli authorities have been consistently obstructed or targeted with gunfire.

“Despite prior coordination for all staff members and vehicles with the Israeli side, the Israeli forces blocked the WHO-led convoy for many hours the moment it left the hospital,” the spokesperson said.

Laerke highlighted an occurrence on Sunday, during which a convoy intended to evacuate 24 patients from Amal Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis was impeded for seven hours and paramedics were detained.

The joint initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) to organize the convoy faced obstacles. The convoy had to abandon 31 patients at Amal Hospital, which has ceased all operations after being targeted with 40 Israeli attacks in the past month alone.

“The Israeli military forced patients and staff out of ambulances and stripped all paramedics of their clothes,” Laerke said.

“Three PRCS paramedics were subsequently detained, although their details had been shared with the Israeli forces in advance,” he added. “This is not an isolated incident.”

Laerke expressed the UN's commitment to consistently remind Israeli forces of their obligation, at the very least, to ensure the "safe, smooth, and rapid passage" when notified about aid missions.