The escalation of the conflict between Israel and Gaza following military attacks from Hamas has resulted in casualties on both sides of the border, leaving hundreds of thousands in an acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While the international community is still debating how to respond to the growing humanitarian disaster, with some EU countries declaring their willingness to suspend humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority, the crisis seems to be entering a new critical phase.
It has been over a week since Israel and Gaza came under fire following the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7. Since then, the conflict has escalated at an unprecedented rate with both sides launching a series of airstrikes. The Government of Israel declared that in response to the lethal attacks from Hamas, it would cut off water, fuel, food, and electricity supplies to Gaza which is home to about 2.3 million people. This isolated enclave, where conditions were already terrible even before the escalation of the conflict, has been left at risk of a humanitarian disaster with some sources putting the number of internally displaced people in the Gaza Strip at about 1 million.
EU’s wavering stance on aid for Gaza
The international response to the growing humanitarian crisis has not been straightforward. The EU, one of the key donors to the Palestinian Authority for decades with €1.2 billion earmarked for 2021-24 alone, has failed to arrive at a joint stance on the situation. The announcement by the EU’s Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, that development aid for the Palestinian Authority would be suspended triggered many reactions among EU member states. Some, such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden, agreed and expressed their willingness to suspend humanitarian support to the Palestinian Authority that amounts to around €125 million per year.
However, other member states, including Spain and Belgium, have called on the EU not to cut off aid at such a desperate time as this is intended to help the people of the Palestinian Authority. Against this background, after meeting EU foreign ministers on 10 October, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said:
“The overwhelming majority of the Member States consider that we have to continue our support to the Palestinian Authority and the payments due should not be delayed at a time when this Authority is at a critical moment because the Palestinian people are also suffering.”
UN rings the alarm
While the EU is still considering its humanitarian response, the situation in Gaza is becoming critical. The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief Work Agency, Philippe Lazzarini, said in his message last Sunday that the situation is changing rapidly and people in Gaza will soon face an acute shortage of food and water:
“Gaza is being strangled and it seems that the world right now has lost its humanity. If we look at the issue of water — we all know water is life — Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life.”
Meanwhile, as Israel deploys troops and equipment close to the border, it is calling on people in Gaza to evacuate from the northern half of the strip to avoid the mass murder of civilians. However, according to United Nations officials, southern Gaza is facing an acute shortage of food, water, and electricity. The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, Lynn Hastings, commented on the situation as follows:
“We are at very limited capacity in the south. There aren’t shelters available in the south in terms of the numbers that are coming. There’s some food in distribution sites, but we can’t get to them because of the bombardment.”
According to an official in the area, there is also a scarcity of fuel.
“No fuel means no desalination. Gaza is heavily reliant on desalination. No fuel also means no health care because you need electricity to run hospitals,” he added.