Source: Save the Children
Israel’s aid restrictions mean that severe winter weather is cutting children in Gaza off from much-needed child protection and psychosocial support services, Save the Children said, as storms began again yesterday (local time).
Four of the aid group’s eight child-friendly spaces were forced to close during last month’s severe storms as camps were flooded or damaged by a combination of rainwater and sewage due to the destruction of sanitation systems during two years of Israeli bombardment.
For the sites that remained open, staff working in the aid group’s child-friendly spaces saw a massive drop in attendance during the storms, with reductions from 25 children attending to 15 and 12.
Save the Children staff said poor ground conditions after heavy rain, as well as lack of basic clothing like jackets and shoes, have forced children to stay in their tents. The attendance of older children, particularly adolescents, dropped because they were busy helping their families repair their tents after the storm.
As heavy rains once again swamp Gaza – where nearly the entire population has been forced from their homes – it is critical that Israeli authorities lift restrictions on aid and allow currently banned critical items like tent poles in, as well as more winter supplies like tents, shelter items, winter clothes, and blankets to enter the Strip, the child rights organisation said.
Shurouq, media manager for Save the Children in Gaza, said:
“It is heartbreaking speaking to fellow parents and children here. While restrictions mean there is a marked absence of efforts to rebuild communities and get children back on track with any semblance of normality – proper homes, formal schooling – our child-friendly spaces and temporary learning centres give them some respite from the horrors of the past two years.
“But now they are not even able to get that. Winter weather on top of two years of damage makes some of Gaza’s remaining “roads” impassable, the services they lead to unreachable for children and families. One parent told me they cannot buy their children shoes. Another child told me they are awake all night freezing cold because their bedding and blankets are so wet after their tent flooded.”
Despite some tents and tarpaulins entering Gaza since the announcement of the first phase of the peace plan two months ago, there have still been no timber, tent poles or tools entering due to restrictions on what Israeli authorities consider “dual-use” items.
Plans announced by Israeli authorities last week to reopen the Rafah crossing for Palestinians leaving Gaza do not include the entry of aid and do nothing to meet the basic survival needs of the nearly two million people inside the Strip who have experienced unimaginable hardship over two years of relentless violence.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for Save the Children in the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, said:
“No child should lie awake all night freezing in sewage-sodden bedding. This is unconscionable. What Palestinian children in Gaza need immediately is tents including tent poles, shelter, warm clothes, blankets and bedding as well as a major investment in repairing the damaged sanitation system.
“Israel, as the occupying power, is obliged to ensure the humanitarian needs of the occupied population are met. Israeli authorities must lift the siege and ensure all border crossings are open and fully operational in both ways, aid restrictions reduced, and services resumed.
“The plan to open the Rafah crossing one way only is a smokescreen. Restrictions on aid coming in and a one-way exit ticket out will displace Palestinians from their land, weaponising their own survival against them. It is a breach of Israeli obligations under international law and under the first phase of the ceasefire plan, and it is a breach of humanity.”
Save the Children has not been permitted to bring its own supplies into Gaza since March. Despite this and the restrictions on critical winter items for the aid community as a whole, in the coming weeks Save the Children plans to distribute locally procured winter household items and shelter kits, including mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets, mats and tarpaulins, as well as over 2,000 kits of winter clothing for children.
In early December, working through partners with approved access, the child right’s organisation was able to facilitate the delivery of 5,750 female hygiene kits and about 1,000 breastfeeding kits into Gaza. While these quantities represent a small portion of the overall needs, their distribution to children and families in the coming weeks will provide vital support.
Save the Children is also distributing US$2 million in cash assistance to help families buy what they can for winter in the market.
Save the Children has been working in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) for over 70 years.
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in more than 110 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
