From Dave Hardman, Methodist Liaison Officer, Jerusalem
Thank you once again for your ongoing generosity. The continued response of the Methodist people has meant that we have been able to transfer another £20,000 to the work in Gaza being carried out by the Princess Basma Centre and the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR).
Recent events in Lebanon in the north of the region have dominated our news cycles and taken a focus off Gaza. Yet, the people of Gaza are still suffering as the Israeli bombardment continues, diseases spreads and food, clean water and medical supplies become even more scarce.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released a statement on Oct 14th. Even after all we have seen and heard in the past year from the brutality of the Hamas attack to the horror of over 42,000 Gazan citizens being killed by Israel, this assessment is devastating.
“There really is no safe place in Gaza for people to go. Fighting is intensifying in the north and essential supplies for survival are running out. No food aid has entered northern Gaza since October 1.”1
On October 20th a report from the UN Human Rights Office stated concern over the potential destruction of the Palestinian Population in North Gaza.2
“The Israeli military’s resumed attacks on two of the three main hospitals in north Gaza put even more pressure on the civilian population. All three hospitals, already damaged in previous IDF attacks, are also struggling with shortages of supplies and fuel.”
On Oct 28th the Government of Israel passed a law banning the operation of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) in Israel. UNRWA was established in 1949 by a U.N. General Assembly resolution, following the war surrounding the founding of Israel, when 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes. Today nearly the entire Gazan population relies on UNRWA for basic necessities, including food, water and hygiene supplies. The ban effectively stops UNRWA’s ability to operate in Gaza.
This ban and the breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) are causing even more suffering to a population that has seen death, destruction and disease on a scale that we cannot really imagine.
I personally hate the fact that we have to have ‘laws’ that say what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in war. I hate it because I believe the world jumps too quickly and too often to weaponised conflict without pursuing peace through non-violent means.
Yet, we do have IHL to protect civilians at times of war and despite warnings from the International Court of Justice we are seeing blatant transgressions of these protective laws. The restriction of aid and the targeting of hospitals contravene IHL and cause humanity to suffer.
In the light of such inhumanity it is so easy to feel speechless and powerless. As I speak with Methodists across the connexion about the situation in the Holy Land I hear this exact sentiment and I am asked what we can do. Invariably I answer…
Pray, and never cease praying until there is an end to the bombardment, a release for the hostages, an end to the starvation and a just process that leads to lasting peace, freedom, security and human rights for all. In short pray that humanity may return to the region.
Continue to give to our Gaza Appeal (https://www.methodist.org.uk/faith/prayer/israel-palestine/gaza-appeal/) and support the work of Princess Basma Centre and the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees as they respond and adapt to the ongoing medical needs of ordinary Gazans.
Raise your voice to call on the UK Government to defend International Humanitarian Law and demand that Israel ends its targeting of places where civilians are sheltering for safety, its blockade of aid into Gaza and allows UNWRA to continue its vital work in Gaza.
Write to David Lammy Foreign Secretary and Hamish Falconer Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan at fcdo.correspondence@fcdo.gov.uk