As more than a million Gazans face evacuation orders, humanitarian organizations in Canada and abroad say they’re facing challenges in delivering aid due to the Isareli blockade and the lack of a humanitarian corridor.
“I’ve been there myself and it’s extremely dire what people are having to face right now. There’s also been a shortage of fuel, of water and electricity. The electricity is no longer present. People do not have a stable food supply,” Breanne England, head of the Africa and the Middle East region of the Canadian Red Cross told CTVNews.ca in an interview Friday.
After Hamas’ surprise attack last week, Israel retaliated and sent airstrikes in response, followed by a land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, stopping access to food, water, fuel and electricity for civilians. The war has now claimed at least 2,700 lives on both sides since Hamas’ surprise attack, authorities in Israel said.
Palestinians began moving out of northern Gaza on Friday after the Israeli military urged civilians to head south ahead of an expected ground invasion.
England said humanitarian needs are going to increase in the coming weeks and days.
Because of the blockade and the lack of a humanitarian corridor, aid organizations like the Canadian Red Cross are relying on pre-positioned supplies, but those supplies are quickly running out.
“In addition to our supplies running out, the lack of fuel, the lack of water means that health care and other basic needs cannot be met,” said England.
With more than one million people, or about half of Gaza’s population, under evacuation orders, the United Nations has warned that this sort of evacuation would be “calamitous.”
Hamas told people to ignore the evacuation order, forcing families in Gaza to face a no-win decision to leave or stay. Hospital staff said they couldn’t abandon patients.
Dalia Al-Awqati of Save the Children Canada told CTV’s Power Play on Friday the situation is especially dire given that almost 50 per cent of the 2.4 million Gaza population are children.
“People have been moving around for days trying to find safety but what’s safe in one moment is not safe in another. So the situation is really already quite bleak. An evacuation about one million people in a very small area that is already unsafe,” said Al-Awqati.
Meanwhile the border crossing into Egypt has also been closed due to Israeli airstrikes.
“There is certainly no crossing into the Mediterranean Sea, so the people that are in Gaza at the moment are unsafe regardless of where they are,” added Al-Awqati.
Humanitarian organizations like Canadian Red Cross and Save the Children Canadian are echoing a call to action for safe humanitarian access to help those in need and a respect to international humanitarian law.
Joseph Belliveau, CEO of Doctors Without Borders Canada said in an interview with CTV’s Power Play Thursday, they’re receiving “waves of injured people,” as airstrikes continue to demolish neighbourhoods, block by block.
“We’re almost out of pain killers and anesthetics that we need to do surgical interventions already, and we’ve used about three weeks worth of emergency response stocks in three days,” said Belliveau.
Belliveau said a colleague described that a hospital, as of yesterday, had around 12 hours of fuel remaining as hospitals have had to move to generators to power facilities because of the lack of electricity.
“If we’re not able to lift that blockade and get medical people and medical supplies, that’s also going to quickly lead to malnutrition or disease outbreaks if that’s not also flowing. If these things don’t happen. I think we’re going from horrendous to catastrophic pretty quickly,” added Belliveau.
CALLS FOR A HUMANTARIAN CORRIDOR
On Friday, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said his government is “literally non-stop communicating” with Israeli and Egyptian officials to open a humanitarian corridor in and out of Gaza.
Kirby also said the government is working to usher humanitarian and aid organizations into Gaza so they can get supplies and care to Palestinians in a interview airing Sunday on CTV’s Question Period with Vassy Kapelos.
Canada said it will be providing $10 million in humanitarian assistance to address “urgent needs” in Israel and the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
The funding, said to provide support in food, water, emergency medical assistance, and protection services, will be going to a series of organizations including the Canadian Red Cross, the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and Magen David Adom.
We’re working around the clock to support you, we will continue to follow the situation as it evolves, and continue our efforts with international partners,” Trudeau said, speaking in Yellowknife.
With files from CTVNews.ca’s Michael Lee, Spencer Van Dyk, Rachel Aiello, and The Associated Press.
