Statement| Continued closure of Gaza border crossings threatens imminent humanitarian and health disaster in the Gaza Strip

May 14, 2024

The Palestine Red Crescent Society warns of the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip due to the continued closure of border crossings, following the Israeli occupation forces' control and complete closure of the Rafah crossing.

The ongoing closure of crossings by the Israeli occupation forces, especially the vital Rafah crossing- which is the main artery supply to the entire Gaza Strip - prevents the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, as well as fuel, and poses an imminent humanitarian and health disaster. This means that famine is imminent with the depletion of food stocks, especially with the continued seven-month-long aggression and displacement of more than 85% of the population. Citizens are suffering from severe levels of food insecurity amid severe humanitarian aid shortages, in clear violation by the occupation forces of international humanitarian law, which stipulates that the occupying power is responsible for securing and providing basic needs to the population under occupation, not just allowing entry.
Furthermore, the continued prevention by the occupation of fuel entry threatens the complete collapse of the healthcare system, and shutdown of the remaining hospitals if fuel is not provided for power generators, ambulances, water desalination stations, and sewage networks.
Therefore, PRCS appeals to the international community and international humanitarian institutions to urgently intervene and pressure the occupation authorities to open the crossings, especially the Rafah crossing; and to allow unimpeded, sustainable, and unconditional flow of humanitarian aid to needy citizens throughout the Gaza Strip.