Foreign ministers from ten countries issue a joint statement describing a catastrophic situation in Gaza, citing shelter, health, and sanitation crises.
LONDON: The foreign ministers of ten nations have issued a stark warning about a catastrophic deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In a joint statement released by the UK’s Foreign Office, the ministers expressed serious concerns about a renewed decline in conditions as winter sets in.
The ministers represent Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
“Civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping,” the statement said.
It noted that 1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support.
More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment.
The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding.
The ministers welcomed progress to end the bloodshed and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
“However we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza,” they stated.
They called on the government of Israel to take a string of urgent and essential steps.
These included ensuring international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a sustained and predictable way.
“As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the government of Israel’s restrictive new requirements,” the statement added.
It also called for the UN and its partners to be able to continue their work.
The ministers demanded the lifting of unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use, including medical and shelter equipment.
They called for the opening of crossings to boost humanitarian aid flows into Gaza.
While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors like Rafah remained closed or severely restricted.
“Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely,” the statement said.
“The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling,” it added.
These targets should be lifted to ensure vital supplies arrive at the vast scale needed.
