CAFOD appeals for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza

By Sr. Nina Benedikta Krapić, VMZ

In the wake of escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, people in the Gaza Strip are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, after Israel imposed a blockade on the territory.

CAFOD, the Catholic overseas aid agency of the Bishops of England and Wales, has responded to the situation with an appeal to the international community.

“People are becoming increasingly desperate for water,” according to Elizabeth Funnell, CAFOD’s Country Programmes Representative for the Middle East. “We've heard reports of people drinking contaminated water and even sea water.”

In an interview with Vatican News, Ms. Funnell noted that even before the war, the people of Gaza had serious difficulties accessing water.

“People were spending a lot of their income buying bottled water or tanked water,” she said, adding that now that water supplies to Gaza from the outside have been cut off, the situation has become even more desperate.

There is also a crisis in access to food, said Ms. Funnel. “Some bakeries had been struck by bombardment and that meant they would not be able to produce bread.”

Fuel also cannot be brought into Gaza, which is a major problem for hospitals, as it is necessary to keep essential services running.

“At certain points, hospitals, for example, which rely on fuel for their generators to keep going, were down to just a few hours left of electricity to provide those vital services, including for equipment like incubators,” she said.

Families need urgent help

Over 3,400 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the violence escalated. Around 1 million people are estimated to have fled their homes in northern Gaza and are living in dire conditions in central and southern Gaza.

Families will need urgent, practical help to recover, recalled CAFOD’s representative in the Middle East.

“Huge numbers of people have been displaced, and they've made their way to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and there they have even less of a support system available to them there.”

Humanitarian aid still unavailable

Although there are truckloads full of aid waiting at Egypt’s border with Gaza to be delivered, humanitarian assistance still has not been able to enter the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the war on 7 October.

Although Egypt has agreed to reopen the border for the delivery of humanitarian aid, about 20 trucks carrying aid are still waiting to enter Gaza. Some terms are still being negotiated and Israel has insisted on inspecting all deliveries.

CAFOD is advocating for humanitarian access and hopes it will be granted very soon.

“We're working with our partners and trying to pre-position ourselves so that we're ready to deliver the aid as soon as it's safe to do so and as soon as access is possible,” said Ms. Funnell. She added that CAFOD’s partners on the ground are working tirelessly with the resources they have.

Meanwhile, CAFOD continues to appeal for prayers, donations and support. The Catholic aid agency has prepared a letter for leaders that people can sign, calling for international law to be upheld, for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.