New York, NY, March 4, 2025 — Bob Kitchen, Vice President, Emergencies and Humanitarian Action, International Rescue Committee, says,
“We are deeply concerned about the Israeli Government’s decision to prevent aid entering into Gaza at this critical time. Gaza’s entire population is currently reliant on humanitarian relief and blocking aid at a time when most of the population are already facing crisis levels of hunger will have far reaching consequences for an already desperate civilian population.
"Under International Humanitarian Law, Israel is obligated to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, regardless of whether or not the ceasefire holds. The IRC currently has 6.7 tonnes of much-needed pharmaceutical and medical supplies due to enter. Once in Gaza, these will provide urgent and life-saving trauma care to thousands of people and offer critical support to a health system on the verge of collapse. Due to arrive later this week, their onward delivery to hospitals in dire need is now highly uncertain.
"During the first phase of the ceasefire, we saw how quickly humanitarians can scale up to deliver critical aid such as food, water and medical supplies, when restrictions are lifted. It’s imperative that aid access is now immediately resumed. With humanitarian needs sky high, more aid access is required not less.
"At this critical moment, we call on all parties to ensure the ceasefire does not collapse and that aid continues to flow unimpeded into Gaza."