In recent months several consensual aspects of humanitarian aid have been violated in ways that are perhaps unprecedented. This has happened particularly in Gaza and Lebanon as Israeli forces have repeatedly not hesitated to attack those engaged in the noble task of delivering most urgently needed food, medicines and other essential needs, including even the UN peace forces and relief agencies as well as other highly reputed agencies like Doctors without Borders and Red Cross. The statistics relating to attacks on humanitarian aid workers at world level in recent times have increased to an unprecedented extent largely as a result of Israeli attacks in Gaza (which is not to say that serious problems do not exist elsewhere).
At a time when serious injuries and illnesses are at an all-time high in Gaza due to the Israeli attacks involving very destructive weapons, relentless displacements, mass hunger and denial of essential facilities like clean drinking water and sanitation, a large number of doctors and nurses have died in attacks as hospitals and health centers have been attacked time and again. According to the data available till October 7 2024, as many as 986 medical personnel had been killed in this assault including 165 doctors and 260 nurses. 34 hospitals and 80 health centers had been put out of service. 162 health institutions and 131 ambulances have been hit.
James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF, spoke in the context of the situation in Gaza on October 15, “Day after day, the situation for children becomes worse than the day before…August was the lowest amount of humanitarian aid that came into the Gaza strip of any full month since the war broke out…There had been several days in the last week (when) no commercial trucks whatsoever were allowed to come in…We see now what is probably the worst restrictions we’ve seen on humanitarian aid ever.”
While this kind of a situation is of course disastrous for the people of Gaza, this is also likely to have a wider impact on other conflict affected humanitarian crisis zones as the kind of arrogant aggression with which healers and relief providers have been treated in Gaza may lead to the increasing breakdown of the consensus that has existed for a long time that healers and relief-givers should not be harmed.
Humanitarian crisis is increasing in many countries and as expected this is partly caused by increasingly adverse weather conditions in times of climate change. So this should have been a time of increasing peace and cooperation to cope with this serious problem. Instead what has happened is that during the same period war and conflict have increased at a very fast pace with the result that the climate change aspect of the humanitarian crises has been pushed into background and these are being driven more and more by conflict and war. In such situations, it is much more difficult to provide timely medical care and relief supplies, as it is difficult to travel to the worst affected areas with all the supplies and the safety of those providing this help is also involved.
So it is very important to have some conventions and consensual agreements to protect the healers and relief providers which should be honored by all sides of various conflicts. All this has been violated widely and arrogantly in the assault on Gaza and as a result the overall situation in other conflict related humanitarian zones has also become more difficult and risky.
The United Nations should take the lead for a significant initiative to check the deteriorating situation so that the conditions for providing medical help and relief in humanitarian crisis situations remain reasonably well-protected.
Yanchun Zhang, the chief statistician at the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), stated on October 17, “The 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Index presents a sobering picture: 1.1 billion people endure multidimensional poverty of which 455 million live in the shadow of conflict.” It is concerns relating to these 455 million that the world should be most attentive to.
Bharat Dogra is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, Planet in Peril, Man over Machine and A Day in 2071.
