Gaza ceasefire a ‘necessary respite’ but just a first step: MSF
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, says an imminent ceasefire is a “necessary respite” for the people of Gaza but says the deal “comes tragically late – after immense suffering and countless lives lost”.
In a statement posted on social media, the medical charity group said the ceasefire needs to be “more than a temporary one” to allow people to “rebuild their lives, restore their dignity and grieve for those who were killed and all they have lost”.
“The Israeli bombing must stop and a massive increase in humanitarian aid is urgently needed,” MSF said.
“It is only the first step in addressing the massive humanitarian, psychological and medical needs in Gaza. We urge all parties to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people throughout the Strip now,” it said.
What aid Israel will allow into Gaza remains unclear: NRC
Shaina Low, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) communications adviser in Palestine, has told Al Jazeera that news of the planned ceasefire has been met with mixed emotions by the NGO’s staff in Gaza.
“There is a mix of excitement [and] hope but also fear because of the … intensified bombardment as we’ve seen over the last couple of days since the ceasefire was announced”, she said.
“While we are hopeful that this ceasefire agreement will come into effect over the weekend … we know that the challenges will continue, nonetheless, in terms of what people are facing and what we need to do in order to help support them,” she added.
Low said staff at the NRC knew a ceasefire would happen at some point, but there have been “so many unknowns” in terms of what would be allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave, so they have had to “scenario plan”.
The NRC has 48 trucks of supplies in Egypt, waiting to cross into Gaza, and lots more aid in warehouses waiting to be unloaded, Low said. She noted that at this stage, it remains unclear what will be allowed by Israel to enter the Gaza Strip.
WHO upbeat on scaling up aid under Gaza ceasefire terms
A World Health Organization official says it should be possible to scale up aid imports into Gaza significantly to about 600 trucks a day under the terms of a ceasefire deal.
“I think the possibility is very much there and specifically when other crossings will be opened up,” Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian Territory, told a Geneva press briefing.
The WHO plans to bring in an unspecified number of prefabricated hospitals to support Gaza’s decimated health sector, he added.
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