CARE welcomes the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza announced by President Trump between Israel and Hamas, and the promise it carries to immediately end the bloodshed and human suffering, including the release of all hostages, so they can finally be reunited with their families and loved ones. Israel’s Cabinet is scheduled to vote on the agreement Thursday, and implementation depends on this approval. Until then, the ceasefire remains pending, and all continue to hold their breath.
The ceasefire should be implemented by all parties in good faith, see a complete halt to military operations, and guarantee people’s safety and protection wherever they may be in Gaza. A return to conflict would be shattering for two million people in Gaza who have suffered immensely and face generational trauma.
While we welcome the commitment to facilitate humanitarian aid with a minimum of 600 trucks per day and the opening of the Rafah crossing, a main lifeline for Gaza, as well as additional border crossings, the agreement does not clarify how international organisations like CARE can bring in supplies that remain stuck outside Gaza, or address the recently imposed INGO registration barriers that have further prevented humanitarian organisations from operating effectively.
Israel must fulfil its commitment to dramatically increase the flow of humanitarian aid and provide full, immediate and safe access for humanitarian workers to reach all Palestinians in need wherever they are across the Gaza Strip. The coordination of aid delivery and distribution must continue to be led by the United Nations and other credible international agencies with the capacities to deliver aid at scale to people in need wherever they maybe in Gaza while safeguarding people’s safety and dignity.
We hope the ceasefire will finally allow the entry of food, medicine, fuel, shelter material, and equipment to enable Palestinians to begin to recover from the overwhelming losses they have sustained over the past two years. Humanitarian organisations face a race against time to assist people who are starving, have been denied access to medical treatment and immediately need the necessities to sustain life after having lost so much. There must be an immediate removal of bureaucratic registration barriers and acceleration of principled humanitarian aid. Throughout this process the international community must ensure the voices, rights and will of the Palestinian people in the Gaza and the West Bank are heard and respected.
CARE and our Palestinian partners are ready to scale up its humanitarian response in Gaza. We stand ready to deliver lifesaving healthcare at our clinic in Deir Al-Balah and through partner-run medical points and centers, restoring access to clean water across Gaza. Once allowed to bring more aid in, CARE is also ready to offer shelter assistance to those who lost their homes and deliver baby kits and hygiene kits in addition to other critical protection services to women and children.
While we gratefully embrace this agreement with the hope that it will finally end the bloodshed and suffering, we are reminded today of all those for whom this has come far too late. We mourn for the hostages who will tragically never return home to their families. We mourn the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, and the people of Gaza who have died from preventable hunger or disease. We recall the pain felt by pregnant women, starving themselves to feed their children or miscarrying under the stress of constant forced displacement. Our thoughts are with the families of the more than 500 Palestinian aid workers in Gaza killed while serving their communities, with many more injured, including some of CARE’s partners’ staff. May peace prevail.
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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.
