TRÓCAIRE

THE CRISIS IN GAZA

COVID-19 AND CONFLICT ARE HUGE CHALLENGES FACING THE PEOPLE OF GAZA

BY DAVID O'HARE

A member of staff from Caritas Jerusalem, a Trócaire partner, surveys the devastation in Gaza. Photo: Michelle Hough, Caritas

The Gaza Strip is a narrow sliver of land, spanning 365 square kilometres (141 square miles), bordered by Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Its two million residents, half of them under the age of 18, live in one of the world's most densely populated territories. Electricity is only available for about half the day, and many people do not have regular access to clean water. More than 70 per cent of Gaza's population relies on humanitarian aid to meet basic needs.

For almost 14 years, Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on the entry and exit of goods and people to and from Gaza. The vast majority of residents do not meet Israel's stringent criteria for travel permits and therefore have severely limited ability to travel outside the Strip, including for employment and education, or to visit or reunite with family members living in Israel, the West Bank, or farther afield.

Gaza's inhabitants have also been subjected to four wars in the last 13 years in which thousands of civilians have been killed or forced from their homes, with homes and workplaces demolished. This has left a deep psychological impact on the children, women and men who call Gaza home. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the Strip, with transmission made easy by the crowded living conditions and low number of vaccines available. During the fighting in May 2021, the sole laboratory in Gaza that processes COVID-19 test results became inoperable due to damage sustained in an Israeli airstrike.

BURDEN ON WOMEN

The ongoing blockade and the COVID-19 outbreak have severely impacted Gaza's women and girls. They have led to increased caregiving and household responsibilities such as caring for sick family members and handling additional childcare demands due to the closure of schools and daycare centres. This, in turn, limits women and girls' access to services, including critical health services. Increased caregiving responsibilities

also restrict access to and time available for education and livelihood activities.

Women, girls and vulnerable groups are at increased risk of gender-based violence during such epidemics due to limited involvement in decision-making within the household and negative shifts in social safety nets, mobility and access to services to respond to violence against women.

Since 2002, Trócaire has been privileged to work with local church and Palestinian organisations to help address the challenges facing the most vulnerable in Gaza.

In response to the bombardments of Gaza last May, Trócaire has been able to support the activities of its local partner and sister agency in the Gaza Strip, Caritas Jerusalem, an organisation led by Sr Bridget Tighe, a Sligo native.

The brave women and men who work for Caritas' mobile medical teams in Gaza have been delivering life-saving primary healthcare and medical interventions in the northern Gaza Strip, an area heavily affected by the 11day fighting in May. As citizens try to rebuild their lives, Trócaire and Caritas will continue to help families by providing medical care, emergency water, cash distribution and psychosocial support.

ROOT CAUSES

While it is imperative to respond to such needs in the Gaza Strip, particularly after the destruction and devastation that these wars leave behind, it is also vital that we work to address the root causes of such injustices. These humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip have arisen not as a result of natural disasters but due to man-made actions and decisions that have led to these cycles of violence that leave the most vulnerable even worse off.

That is why Trócaire advocates with decision-makers in Ireland for the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip and across Palestine by raising awareness of the living conditions and denial of basic rights endured by Palestinians.

The cycle of violence continues due to a lack of accountability for ongoing human rights violations. These stem primarily from Israel's 54-year occupation of Palestinian land, facilitated by the construction of illegal settlements that the International Criminal Court said last year are tantamount to war crimes. Israel's systematic denial of Palestinians' rights has not been challenged in any meaningful way by the Irish government, European Union or US government, which continues to trade with and provide financial support to the illegal settlements constructed on Palestinian land.

Ultimately, a political solution has to be shaped by Palestinians and Israelis through dialogue and compromise, but this can only happen if a level playing field exists between both parties. This factor was glaringly absent from the Trump administration's failed attempts at a peace deal.

As it stands, Israel has no reason to change its actions and policy towards the Palestinians that live under its control. This is why there is an urgent need for the Irish government, EU and US to play an essential role by, amongst other actions, insisting on the application of international law as a way to ensure respect for the human rights of Palestinians and Israelis in the region, and challenging Israel's impunity through appropriate economic and diplomatic responses.

These calls are what Trócaire hears from our years of working with local organisations and representative groups that we engage with across Israel and Palestine. Despite the hardship they face, there is an enduring resilience and courage that Palestinians continue to display in the hope that their situation will one day improve. It is incumbent on us all to act to help make that a reality.

Trócaire's Christmas appeal focused on the hardships women and girls face in war-torn Gaza. You can find out more about Trócaire's work in the region or make a donation by visiting www.trocaire.org

The cycle of violence continues due to a lack of accountability for ongoing human rights violations

Children in lockdown, Gaza. Photo: Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor