Aid workers in Rafah are working against the odds to keep providing life-saving support to people in need despite facing a level of danger that is unprecedented, even within humanitarian emergencies, and experiencing the same inhumane living conditions as the rest of the population. Yet, with virtually no aid entering Gaza for days, their efforts are becoming impossible, and aid operations risk grinding to a complete halt.
Already, one of ActionAid’s partners in Gaza, WEFAQ, which is based in Rafah, paused its operations after most of its staff were displaced from their homes. An ActionAid-supported hotline for women and girls experiencing gender-based violence is still offering vital support, but without fuel, the electricity and communications networks it relies on will stop running.
Both the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures and UN Security Council’s resolution called for the unhindered provision of humanitarian aid, including fuel, to Gaza – yet what we are seeing right now is a flagrant disregard of these demands. Lives are at stake: the Rafah crossing must be opened immediately, and the invasion of the city halted so that urgent supplies of food, fuel, and medicine can be delivered. As hundreds of thousands of people flee the city with nowhere safe to go, there must be a permanent and immediate ceasefire to prevent the humanitarian crisis from spiraling any further out of control.
Buthaina Subeh is the director of Wefaq, Society for Women and Child Care, ActionAid Palestine’s partner in Gaza. They have been providing hot food, clothing, dignity kits, health kits, and psychological support to those experiencing trauma. She said:
“Most of our operations were ceased, except for online follow-ups. We use the hotline to follow up and document people’s needs. However, we are unable to operate on-site as most of our crew members lost their homes or were displaced to Al Mawasi. We do not even know where most of our crew members are.”
ENDS
For media requests, please email Jenna.Farineau@actionaid.org or call 202-731-9593.
Spokespeople are available:
- Niranjali Amerasinghe, Executive Director of ActionAid USA
- Riham Jafari, Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication for ActionAid Palestine
About ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working with more than 41 million people living in more than 71 of the world’s poorest countries. We want to see a just, fair, and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice and gender equality and to eradicate poverty.
