Gaza Humanitarian Access Snapshot #5 (27 August - 10 September)

Gaza Humanitarian Access Snapshot #5: Polio Vaccination Campaign Rolled Out Amid Escalating Aid Access Challenges And Growing Risks To Aid Worker Safety

Humanitarian workers in Gaza have continued to face severe safety risks and huge challenges in delivering aid over the last two weeks as the Polio vaccination campaign gets underway, report NGOs in the 5th issue of the Gaza humanitarian access snapshot.

At least 13 Palestinians were reportedly killed in attacks by the Israeli forces on aid warehouses or vehicles, despite teams using the required humanitarian coordination and notification systems. An airstrike on a vehicle in an Anera aid convoy killed four Palestinians, while nine were killed when a UN warehouse in Nusairat was hit by a strike, according to UN reports. The World Food Programme temporarily suspended staff movements after one of its convoys was attacked, while three organisations reported that they had been forced to cancel or delay planned aid operations to ensure the safety of those involved due to the risk of strikes and unsafe conditions.

A Polio vaccination campaign, led by the WHO, UNICEF and humanitarian agencies, which aims to vaccinate 640,000 children under 10 got underway on September 1 and has now entered its second week. Despite the success of the campaign so far, NGOs said challenges existed – including safety concerns around the transportation of vaccines to medical points around the Gaza strip, and fuel shortages at hospitals.

“In collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Al Awda Health and Community Association is carrying out a polio vaccination campaign through primary healthcare centres throughout Gaza. However, medical teams face challenges such as fuel shortages due to restrictions imposed by the Israeli army,” said DrMohammed Salha, acting director, Al-Awda Hospital.

Aid workers continue to face huge logistical challenges as the humanitarian space in Gaza shrinks. In August alone, Israeli forces issued 16 displacement orders, which have reduced the so-called “humanitarian zones” to less than 11% of the strip. As a result, Solidarités International reports that it had to temporarily suspend the operation of one of its desalination plants located in an area under displacement orders, significantly reducing its ability to distribute drinkable water, while three ActionAid partners were left unable to access their warehouses.

In the West Bank, aid activities have been severely disrupted by Israeli military incursions into northern cities and refugee camps. Due to the extreme danger and movement restrictions, Médecins du Monde reported that it was only able to access displaced civilians in the Jenin governorate six days after the army’s operation in the area began, causing a detrimental delay in the provision of direly needed medical and psychological emergency support.

Humanitarian workers should not have to work in such challenging and dangerous conditions: the Israeli government must facilitate safe, unhindered access for all humanitarian assistance in both Gaza and the West Bank and guarantee the safety of all humanitarian actors.