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In Gaza, UN relief agency out of food
We have quite simply run out because again we haven't been allowed for many, many months to build up a reserve and that's why we're in such a precarious situation. This evening our stores are now empty and we won't be able to resume our food distribution until such time that we get a re-supply into Gaza.
Are you out of simply everything - food, fuel, drugs?
No, we're out of food, so it's food that we need to get in. We have medicine, we have stores of medicine but it's just that the food operation is on such a scale - thousands and thousands of tons involved that we're very vulnerable to any interruptions in the pipeline. It's been a week since we've been able to get any food supplies into Gaza, which has caused us to fall into this particular crisis.
Did Israel give a reason for saying they would allow the supplies in and...
Yes, last night they said they would allow the supplies in since they recognized that we were running out of food. We sent our trucks to the crossing points and then by mid-day today we were informed that they would not be allowed in because they had security concerns, and they were unspecified but that was it. We were just told that the crossings would not open today.
Has the situation ever been this bad before?
This is unprecedented for UNRWA that we've run out of food. We've had interruptions earlier this year caused by a shortage of fuel. But this time it's actually a shortage of food. So it's very harrowing for the population here, not just physically but psychologically as well.
What will happen tomorrow when the normal food distribution should resume?
In fact, Friday is a rest day here and Saturday would be the day when the food distribution would re-commence and essentially our distribution centers will be closed because we don't have anything to give out.
Have you been able to talk to the Israeli?
We've been in continuous contact with the Israeli authorities. But of course our interlocutors are not the policymakers. These decisions come from the political level. Those of us here on the ground, we don't engage with the political level. But we've been of course working with the liaison people and they have just simply told us the decision is the crossings will remain closed. That's it.
What kind of message do you have for the international community about what's going on there?
Our message is a simple one, really. And it gets back to what defines us as civilized human beings: which is that our actions and behavior are measured against international law. There's a civilian population here in Gaza, 1.5 million people, they're caught up in this conflict, they're the ones paying the price, these sanctions are impacting directly on them and again they have legal right to protection under international law. International law regulates access during times of conflict. And these obstacles and security challenges have to be overcome to ensure that these rights are upheld for the civilian population. Half of the population of the Gaza Strip are children, under the age of 18. When Archbishop Desmond Tutu came to Gaza recently he said the situation was abominable and the action of the international community was shameful. We need to take stock of why such an eminent person would say such things.
(duration: 4'05")
