The scorecard indicated that Israel failed to comply with a number of requirements including the allowance of a minimum of 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza.
Israel has failed to meet the US government’s deadline to take concrete measures to reverse the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza, a group of aid organizations said in a joint “scorecard” released on Tuesday.
On October 13, 2024, the US Secretaries of State and Defense issued a letter demanding progress within 30 days on measures to reverse the humanitarian situation in the besieged enclave.
🚨BREAKING: Oxfam along with seven humanitarian organizations, has released a scorecard showing that Israel has failed to comply with the US demands to reverse the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in #Gaza.
Read more 👉https://t.co/SBMV9tmjPw pic.twitter.com/RKWkbebTKT— Oxfam International Media Team (@newsfromoxfam) November 12, 2024
The scorecard issued concluded that “Israel has failed to comply with its ally’s demands – at enormous human cost for Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” a statement issued by the eight groups on Tuesday said.
“The facts are clear,” the statement said, “the humanitarian situation in Gaza is now at its worst point since the war began in October 2023.”
The scorecard was compiled by Anera, CARE International, MedGlobal, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam, Refugees International, and Save the Children.
Imminent Famine
“This new analysis clearly demonstrates that the Israeli government is violating its obligations under U.S. and international law to facilitate humanitarian relief for suffering Palestinians in Gaza,” said Refugees International president and former senior USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk. “With experts again projecting imminent famine in north Gaza, there is no time to lose. The United States must impose immediate restrictions on security cooperation with Israel as required under Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act.”
THE GAZA SCORECARD – Israel Fails to Comply with U.S. Humanitarian Access Demands in Gaza.
🔴 = non compliance
🟡 = Partial or inconsistent implementation
🟢 = Full or significant progress🔴Enabling a minimum of 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza
🔴Instituting adequate… pic.twitter.com/IOxkPrnQ3S
— Dawn Clancy (@dawnmclancy) November 12, 2024
The scorecard indicated that Israel failed to comply with a number of requirements including the allowance of a minimum of 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza, as well as instituting adequate humanitarian pauses across the enclave.
Israel also failed to facilitate the rapid implementation of the World Food Program winter and logistics plan to repair roads, install warehousing, and expand platforms and staging areas.
Failure to Delivery Critical Supplies
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of MedGlobal said the organization’s local medical teams and international volunteers in Gaza “have witnessed firsthand the complete failure by the Israeli authorities to ensure the delivery of critical supplies including food, water and medicines, and to protect civilians and medical spaces.”
“Our teams are living through the relentless bombing of hospitals, and our medics continue to treat wounded women and children every day,” Dr. Sahloul added.
The 30 days that the US gave Israel to get more aid into its north Gaza siege zone have now expired but Palestinians there say they are still starving and dying. Here’s what’s been happening ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/oiFZE4ufv5
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 12, 2024
“These are egregious violations of the cornerstone principle of international humanitarian law, which protects civilians in time of war. It’s critical that the Biden administration take action to uphold U.S. and international law, and do everything possible to push for the full provision of aid to Gaza’s desperate people,” he emphasized.
Israel also failed to end “the isolation of northern Gaza by reaffirming that there will be no Israeli government policy of forced evacuation of civilians from northern to southern Gaza,” according to the scorecard.
‘Deliberate Starvation’
“I witnessed during my visit to Gaza last week the deliberate starvation of almost 2 million civilians, whilst the bombardment continues,” said NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland. “There is barely any aid crossing into Gaza. The little that does get through is often looted, as the occupying power has obliterated the Palestinian police and refuses to secure, or provide secure access routes to, places where humanitarian organisation could distribute aid to a starving population.”
We are receiving urgent appeals for essential supplies from people in northern #Gaza. They are struggling to survive amidst severe shortages of basic supplies.#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/U6987DRJ51
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 11, 2024
Another factor listed in the scorecard that Israel failed to achieve was to “Take all possible steps to prevent adoption of Knesset legislation that could remove certain privileges and immunities from the United Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its staff, prohibit official contact with UNRWA, and alter the status quo regarding UNRWA in Jerusalem.”
‘Ethnic Cleansing’
“We are witnessing a campaign of ethnic cleansing,” said Oxfam America President & CEO Abby Maxman.
Maxman pointed out that Oxfam and partner organizations “are unable to provide any support to the remaining civilians in the North Gaza governorate, where people are dying every day.”
She said access to the rest of Gaza is also severely restricted, with civilians facing starvation and relentless violence.
More families are being forced out of their hometown of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, as the Israeli army tightens its siege and bombardment of the town for the second month, aiming to ethnically cleansing the entire region. pic.twitter.com/09WgNeiIMg
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 12, 2024
“The U.S. must finally make this overdue call to suspend deadly arms sales to Israel or be complicit in the horrific atrocities unfolding before our eyes,” Maxman stressed.
‘Damning Indictment’
Anera President and CEO Sean Carroll said that in the past month, “we’ve seen families throughout Gaza, and particularly in the north, subjected to increasingly horrific conditions.”
After 2 months of ban on aid deliveries, we will start seeing these scenes again in #NorthernGaza! pic.twitter.com/iHEMmlxY5F
— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) November 12, 2024
“This is a damning indictment of Israel’s failure to follow international humanitarian law and to respond to the critical and reasonable demands of its greatest ally, the United States,” Carrol emphasized, adding that the consequences “will be more innocent lives ended and destroyed.”
“They should also include restrictions on Israel’s ability to continue prosecution of this war in a manner that is increasingly being seen as consistent with ethnic cleansing,” Carrol stated.
Erosion of US Credibility
CARE President and CEO Michelle Nunn said humanitarian organizations who work in crises around the world have, for more than a year, “tried to call attention to the enormity of the suffering in Gaza and the singularity of the conditions hindering an effective and urgent humanitarian response.”
“These calls have been unheeded for too long,” she emphasized, adding “Now, the U.S. government has created a critical opportunity to respond to the facts on the ground, and to insist upon accountability to our own laws.”
“It is imperative to act now to prevent further loss of innocent life, the deepening of an extraordinary humanitarian crisis, and the continued erosion of U.S. credibility as an upholder of International Humanitarian Law,” Nunn said.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
