Ceasefire agreement must be first step towards permanent end to the suffering in Gaza, says ActionAid
The ceasefire agreement must be first step towards permanent end to the suffering in Gaza, says ActionAid.
ActionAid said: “Fifteen months of unimaginable violence and horror has turned Gaza into hell on earth. While today’s agreement to halt hostilities will bring some respite to Gaza’s exhausted people, it is no substitute for a permanent ceasefire which respects the rights of Palestinians to determine their own future. The international community must apply maximum pressure on all parties to urgently secure a lasting end to this war and on the Israeli government to end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory. The Israeli government must be held accountable for all violations of international humanitarian law and comply with ongoing proceedings by the international courts into the charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“The Israeli military’s brutal and relentless offensive has left over 46,000 people dead, tens of thousands with life-changing injuries and turned much of Gaza into a wasteland, with more than two thirds of buildings destroyed. A ceasefire will not bring back the hundreds of thousands of homes that have been destroyed, nor the entire cities wiped off the map, so reconstruction efforts must begin now to urgently provide shelter to the thousands of homeless and displaced Palestinians across the Strip.
“As the truce comes into effect, all efforts must turn to addressing the staggering humanitarian need in Gaza, where people are starving, and children are freezing to death. Aid – particularly nutritious food, clean water, shelter items, medicines and fuel – must be immediately sent into Gaza, while women and girls also need vital essentials like period products, as well as safe and private places to shelter.
“While we hope this ceasefire agreement is a crucial step forward, there is still a very long way to go to achieve the justice and accountability that Palestinians deserve for the countless atrocities that have been committed.”
Fidaa, a Project Officer at Al Aqsa Sports Club, ActionAid’s partner in Gaza, whose husband and brother were both killed, said: “For Gaza, for my family and for me, this moment comes too late. I have lost so much.
“My husband and my brother dreamed of peace, of a future brighter than this reality...But now they are not here to witness this moment. What should have been a chance for relief feels like a cruel reminder of the lives we’ve been robbed of... the love we’ve been forced to let go.
“After enduring more than a year of displacement and unimaginable suffering and the weight of profound loss, I ask myself: how do we rebuild? How do I raise my seven children without their father, the man who was our anchor and our light?
“This is not peace, it is a cruel reminder of the cost of inaction, the toll of conflict, and the emptiness left in its wake.
“My family’s story is not unique here in Gaza, it’s one among countless others. As I stand here, I hold onto a fragile hope, that this moment might mark, not just the end of violence but the beginning of a world where no-one else has to endure what we have endured.”
Riham Jafari, advocacy and communications coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, is available for interview. Please contact the press office at media-enquiries@actionaid.org or on +263776665065 to arrange.