GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
The Director General of the Government Media Office (GMO) in Gaza, Dr. Ismail Al-Thawabta, has warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches, amid Israel’s ongoing prevention of the entry of tents, tarpaulins, and cooking gas into the Gaza Strip despite the massive destruction of civilian homes and shelters.
In press statements, Al-Thawabta explained that this ban exacerbates the suffering of more than one and a half million displaced people who live in the open or in worn-out tents that do not protect them from the cold or rain. He affirmed that the continued prevention of the entry of shelter materials, fuel, and cooking gas constitutes a compounded crime that violates the most basic human rights and contravenes international law and the Geneva Conventions, which oblige the occupying power to provide civilians with their basic needs.
He pointed out that these measures fall within the framework of Israel’s policy of collective punishment against the residents of the Strip, describing it as a continuation of the “war of starvation, displacement, and slow extermination” imposed on the Palestinian people since the beginning of the aggression.
In a related context, Al-Thawabta highlighted the efforts made by the Ministry of Education and educational institutions to revive the learning process despite the widespread destruction. He noted that thousands of schools and universities have been completely or partially destroyed, depriving nearly 800,000 students of their natural right to education.
He explained that the harsh conditions have not stopped teachers and community workers from launching emergency education initiatives and opening alternative classrooms in shelters and available spaces, an attempt to provide a safe learning environment, even at a minimal level.
Al-Thawabta stressed that Israel bears full legal and moral responsibility for the ongoing ban on the entry of essential humanitarian supplies, foremost among them tents, shelter materials, cooking gas, fuel, stationery, and educational tools.
Al-Thawabta called on the United Nations, international organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations Development Program, and Arab and Islamic countries to act urgently and immediately to pressure Israel to end its violations and allow the unrestricted entry of all humanitarian needs.
He concluded by affirming that the Palestinian people remain steadfast in their right to a dignified life despite the aggression and blockade, and will continue their national efforts toward reconstruction and restoring hope in education, work, and shelter. He added, “It is time for the international community to assume its responsibility in stopping this ongoing crime against humanity.”
Israel continues to strangle Gaza
The GMO asserted that the total amount of aid that has entered the Gaza Strip since the start of the ceasefire is no more than 28% of what was supposed to enter under the ceasefire arrangements and accompanying humanitarian understandings.
In a separate statement on Thursday, the GMO said that only 4,453 trucks had entered out of 15,600 expected by Wednesday evening. These convoys included 31 trucks loaded with cooking gas and 84 trucks carrying diesel fuel designated for bakeries, hospitals, generators, and vital sectors, despite the ongoing and severe shortage of these essential supplies after two years of killings, blockade, and systematic destruction resulting from Israel’s genocidal war against the people of Gaza.
According to the statement, the average number of trucks entering daily since the ceasefire began is 171, out of the 600 trucks required daily under the humanitarian protocol. This, it said, confirms that Israel continues to impose policies of strangulation, starvation, humanitarian pressure, and political blackmail against over 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.
It added that these limited quantities do not meet even the minimum of food, medical, and living needs. The Strip urgently requires a regular flow of at least 600 trucks per day carrying food, medicine, fuel, cooking gas, and medical supplies to maintain the basic elements of civilian life.
The UN calls for strengthening shelter assistance
For its part, the United Nations has called for accelerating and expanding the entry of shelter materials into Gaza before winter, amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and the continued Israeli restrictions on aid entry.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said in press statements that relief organizations operating in Gaza continue to intensify their efforts in areas that were previously difficult to reach.
