Plan International Australia Media Release
Plan International Australia has today joined global calls to clear the way for urgent aid to flow into Gaza.
On Monday Israel agreed to pause military operations for 10 hours a day in three populated areas of Gaza – El-Mawasi area, central Deir al-Balah and northern Gaza City – to allow the UN and humanitarian organisations to deliver food and medicine to people “until further notice”.
Commenting on the developments Rozan Khalifeh, Country Directory Plan International Egypt, says:
“The pause in military operations is a welcome step. We now have a small window to get aid into Gaza and save as many lives as possible – every hour counts.
“The UN have warned that one out of every three people has not eaten for days, and eight in every 10 people who have reportedly died from starvation are children. This reprieve cannot come soon enough. In conditions of famine, children die first, and it is an agonising death.
“Plan International has trucks waiting to go into Gaza. We are now rapidly procuring more food, water and water treatment supplies, sanitary products, soap and tents but funding is urgently needed to respond as the scale of suffering in Gaza is colossal.
“For everyone watching the horror unfold, now is the time you can support – your money will save lives.
“Whilst these 10 hour pauses in military operations are a critical opportunity to save lives, there are still another 14 hours in the day where children and their families remain at risk of being killed by shelling and gunfire. We have seen people killed even as the first pause has begun. Parents are scared to visit food distribution sites as over 1000 people have been killed there – mothers shot in front of their starving children as they tried to collect food for them.
“What children in Gaza need above all is a lasting ceasefire, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and unhindered humanitarian access for the UN and humanitarian partners.”
Dr. Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director, Plan International, said:
“Every food truck that reaches Gaza is a lifeline – but such lifelines must be a continuous flow not symbolic. A hungry child can’t survive on headlines. What’s needed is not just access, but sustained, unrestricted flow of life saving humanitarian aid- now”
“Let us be clear: this war has killed more than 58,000 people, many of them women and children. Thousands are unaccounted for, most likely buried under rubbles. It has erased homes, schools, hospitals – and an entire generation’s dreams.
“Last week, 28 countries, including Australia, France, Japan, and Denmark, have called for an immediate end to the war and the lifting of aid restrictions. This pause in military operations is a welcome step – but the urgency for aid cannot be overstated.
“Starving children in Gaza need food every single day – just like children in Melbourne or anywhere else in the world. Using life-saving food as a bargaining chip is not just inhumane – it’s a crime against children. What they need is nutritious food, safety, and above all, a ceasefire and lasting peace to end this nightmare.”
Also from Plan International Australia:
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