- 2 mins read time
- Published: 22nd August 2024
Continued difficulties of delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza as polio threat worsens
People are volunteering to donate blood to save the lives of those who are injured, but we have to turn them away because they are too malnourished and medically unfit to donate blood— Dr Mohammed Salha, Acting Director of Al Awda Hospital, Gaza.
Humanitarian assistance remains severely impeded across Gaza.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been reporting continued delays and denials of access for items like vaccines, antibiotics, bedding, cash, clean water, water treatment equipment, clothes, nappies, gauze, kitchen utensils, shampoo and soap.
The need for life-saving vaccines, including polio vaccines, has increased following confirmation of the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. There are reports of other suspected cases emerging.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the daily volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has dropped by 56% since April.
Between 1-8 August, out of 85 planned humanitarian assistance missions to the north:
- Six were cancelled due to logistical, operational, or security reasons,
- 32 were denied by the Israeli authorities (CLA),
- 13 were impeded,
- 34 were facilitated.
In the South, of the 122 planned humanitarian assistance missions:
- 15 were cancelled,
- 36 were denied,
- Eight were impeded,
- 63 were facilitated.
NGOs operating in Gaza face significant obstacles due to the security environment and strict blockade and access restrictions imposed by Israel. Oxfam have been hearing reports from colleagues affected, including that of an attempted journey on 2 August. The Oxfam humanitarian worker attempted to travel 15-20 km from the south to the north of Gaza, with an aid mission. Even though they had coordinated their movements, they were held at the Netzarim checkpoint for over five hours and forced to turn back.
Despite several attempts, Oxfam has reached the northern part of the country only two times in 10 months. In both cases, missions were initially turned back. This highlights the extreme difficulties of even short travel within Gaza, an area only 41 km long.
Ongoing hostilities are a threat to staff safety. To date, 284 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza.
Read our Humanitarian Access Snapshot. Numerous organisations have fed into this, detailing the issue.
