As Truce Extends, Significant Surge of Humanitarian Assistance and Additional Border Openings Needed in Gaza

Statement by Mercy Corps Chief Executive Officer Tjada D’Oyen McKenna following visit to Jordan to coordinate Gaza emergency relief

“While the nearly week-long truce has provided a brief respite for civilians in Gaza and some increased aid, the current levels of and mechanisms for delivering humanitarian assistance are wholly insufficient to meet the urgent needs of over 2 million people. A sustained ceasefire, an end to the siege and significantly increased access is urgently needed to prevent further death and suffering among civilians and facilitate a massive increase in humanitarian assistance. 

“Civilians should not be used as bargaining chips for aid access. Hostages should be released and returned to their families, and humanitarian aid should flow to civilians in need under all circumstances.

“A single border crossing and the current mechanism for the movement of aid convoys does not allow assistance to be delivered at the scale needed as eight weeks of bombardments, displacement, overcrowding and dwindling essentials compound to make life nearly impossible for civilians. Store shelves are still empty, water is scarce, winter weather approaches and lines for limited supplies of cooking gas stretch for 2 kilometers.

“We’re urging the opening of additional border crossings and improvement of the inspection mechanisms, including adding more inspectors to process aid convoys faster; however, trucks of aid cannot effectively sustain this entire population. The restoration of commercial supply lines to markets, like flour for bakeries and cooking oil for shops, alongside the restoration of critical water and electricity pipelines from Israel is urgently needed. 

“Access must also extend to aid workers, not just supplies. Humanitarians in Gaza are themselves experiencing severe trauma and trying to keep their families alive. Humanitarian organizations must have safety guarantees and access in and out of Gaza to surge support teams and increase their staff capacity on the ground.”