Mercy Corps Calls for Urgent Ramp-Up of Aid and Protection of Civilians in Gaza as Initial Delivery Trickles In

Statement by Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna

“It is welcome news that an initial convoy of 20 trucks bringing food, water and medicine from Egypt has crossed into Gaza – the first since the conflict’s outbreak – but this falls far short of what will be needed to meet the alarming levels of need. These supplies will not come close to providing for hundreds of thousands of people trying to survive after two weeks under siege and bombardment, and completely cut off from aid.

“Two million people in Gaza have been rationing food and water. Power plants and water desalination plants have not been operating for days. Hospitals have been nearing collapse with insufficient medical supplies or fuel for generators to treat the critically injured. Civilians have been crowding into schools, hospitals, and other temporary shelters.

“Without a cessation of violence, and an end of the siege, the appalling death toll will continue to rise and humanitarian needs will only continue to mount. All must take every possible action to protect civilians and guarantee the safety and security of those who are delivering and seeking to receive incoming aid.

“Truckloads of supplies still sit within mere miles on the other side of the Rafah crossing as people in Gaza get their first trickle of aid today. The UN, Egypt, Israel and all others negotiating the terms of aid deliveries must immediately determine a way for safe, sustained, and scalable aid access and delivery. Only then can the aid community working in Gaza begin to respond to this worsening humanitarian catastrophe.”

Mercy Corps has worked in Palestine since 1986, in Gaza and the West Bank. We have nearly 70 team members in Gaza and are working to establish new supply lines, restart our humanitarian programs in Gaza, and significantly ramp up much-needed lifesaving assistance as soon as it is safe to do so and there is consistent humanitarian access to Gaza.