It has been nearly a week since hostilities resumed in Gaza, subjecting civilians, including NRC’s staff and their families, to the brutal nightmare of war once again. Men, women, and children are trapped - dying as a result of air, land, and sea bombardments and ground fighting. Thousands have been uprooted again - told to flee to safety when no safety exists. Our own ability to deliver the minimal aid supplies that have trickled into Gaza is paralyzed- we cannot reach people safely under these conditions.
Until U.S. leadership publicly urges the parties to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire, the U.S. co-signs this dire reality. Quiet diplomacy has thus far resulted in little tangible progress on humanitarian and protection outcomes. Civilians on both sides can no longer afford for the U.S. to be quiet.
NRC USA urges the U.S. to use its vote and bring along its allies in the UN Security Council in support of a ceasefire. This must be bolstered with a new U.S. strategy that condemns IHL violations by all sides –including attacks on civilians and siege tactics and denial of humanitarian access—and ends any U.S. bilateral support which contributes to IHL violations.
We implore the U.S. to place humanity at the center of its foreign policy and heed the calls of countless citizens, civil society, and the UN Secretary General to support a humanitarian ceasefire and exert its considerable leverage over the parties to stop this conflict before the humanitarian crisis spirals further out of control.