Nations urge Israel to ease Gaza aid restrictions amid Palestinian suffering

Amid a winter of hardship and devastation, a chorus of nations across the Middle East and Asia has urged Israel to allow “immediate, full, and unhindered” humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, where nearly 1.9 million Palestinians remain displaced and exposed to the elements, the Al Jazeera reported.

In a joint statement on Friday, the foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Pakistan, and Indonesia painted a grim portrait of life in the battered enclave. They spoke of flooded camps, collapsed and damaged buildings, freezing temperatures, and malnutrition, warning that these conditions “have significantly heightened risks to civilian lives”.

The ministers called upon the international community to pressure Israel, which they described as the occupying power, to lift constraints on the entry and distribution of essential supplies — from tents and shelter materials to medical aid, clean water, fuel, and sanitation support, the Al Jazeera reported.

Despite its obligations under international law, Israel has continued to restrict aid deliveries, even as a US-brokered ceasefire in October explicitly mandated the daily entry of hundreds of aid trucks.

Across Gaza, hundreds of thousands of families have sought refuge in makeshift shelters and overcrowded tents, their homes reduced to rubble in the wake of Israel’s relentless bombardment. The winter rains have only intensified the suffering, causing buildings to collapse and claiming the lives of children succumbing to hypothermia.

The toll of conflict continues even outside the storms: on Friday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian west of Khan Younis and wounded several others, while a drone strike in Beit Lahiya left four, including a woman and two children, seriously injured, according to hospital sources.

In their statement, the foreign ministers commended the tireless work of the United Nations and other humanitarian groups operating in Gaza under “extremely difficult and complex circumstances.” They demanded that Israel allow UN agencies and international nonprofits to function “in a sustained, predictable, and unrestricted manner,” noting that any impediment to their work is “unacceptable.”

Their condemnation coincides with Israel’s recent move to bar 37 international NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank from operating, citing unmet registration requirements. Critics have denounced the new rules as arbitrary and a violation of humanitarian principles, raising concerns that revealing personal details of Palestinian employees places them in grave danger.

Gaza’s Government Media Office reports that approximately 500 aid workers and volunteers have been killed since the conflict erupted in October 2023. Among those affected, Doctors Without Borders has mourned the loss of 15 colleagues, condemning the Israeli demand for staff lists as “an outrageous overreach” in a context where humanitarian and medical personnel face intimidation, arbitrary detention, and lethal attacks.

As winter storms batter the beleaguered enclave, the world’s eyes turn to Gaza, where the struggle for survival continues amid a humanitarian blockade, relentless conflict, and an urgent call for aid to reach those who need it most.