We are deeply saddened by the news of the killing of two staff members of Juzoor for Health and Social Development, Ahmed Khilla and Yahya Shihab, along with their families, in airstrikes on Jabalia camp last week.
Yahya Shihab, who worked as a nurse at one of Juzoor’s medical points in Jabalia, was killed along with his wife and children in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia Camp in northern Gaza last Thursday night.
Ahmed Khilla, a driver with Juzoor, was also killed with his wife and two children in another airstrike on Jabalia Camp last Wednesday.
Yahya and Ahmed join at least 430 aid workers who have been killed since October 7, 2023. They were heroically serving their communities despite the many grave dangers they faced for more than 19 months, including relentless bombing, displacement, destruction and starvation.
“Humanitarian workers in Gaza are facing the same fate as the starved and bombed communities they continue to serve despite all odds. No one is safe and the threat of death is palpable everywhere,” said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine (West Bank and Gaza) Country Director. “We are hopeful that OCHA’s proposal to resume at scale the existing independent aid delivery system into Gaza will proceed. But only a ceasefire will stop the killing of more civilians and aid workers. People are still being denied their basic right of access to food and other needs like lifesaving medicine and shelter supplies. The siege that has lasted for more than 80 days must end now.”
In the past week Israel has intensified its airstrikes across Gaza, with multiple areas being targeted, including Beit Lahia and Jabalia in the north, and eastern parts of Gaza City and Khan Younis and Deir El-Balah, as well as the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi Khan Younis, killing hundreds, many of whom are women and children, and forcibly displacing tens of thousands of people in a few days.
Juzoor said: “Despite a brief return of humanitarian organizations to Northern Gaza, the resurgence of violence has forced most to suspend their operations once again. In this critical moment, Juzoor remains on the ground—exhausted but committed—reaching displaced and injured civilians, often in areas where no other support is available.”
CARE once again calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, for the full and unhindered access to people who desperately need aid, and ultimately there must be accountability to International Humanitarian Law. Hostages must be released.
For media enquiries contact Briony FitzGerald on 0404 117 927
About CARE International
CARE is a leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. From emergency response to long-term sustainable solutions, CARE is known for our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of all people. We work to support women and girls, so we can effectively address the root causes of poverty and create pathways to economic freedom for all. We do this in partnership with men and boys and community leaders locally, regionally, and globally. For nearly 80 years, CARE has been there, from the first CARE Packages® delivering relief in Europe after World War II, to every major global crisis since. Our long-term development programs and trusted local leadership continue to impact the lives of millions of people around the world.
About CARE Australia
CARE Australia is one member of the global CARE Confederation. CARE Australia supports women and girls around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. We work in partnership with local communities to provide equal opportunities for women and girls to be educated and to earn an income, gain access to essential resources like food, health care and clean water, and to be able to withstand and recover from the increasing
impacts of disasters, conflict and other crises. Our programs focus on women and girls because we know when one woman breaks the cycle of poverty she brings four others with her – and that’s a powerful multiplier of impact.
