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Stoppa den dödliga ”nödhjälpen” i Gaza 

2025-07-02

Tillsammans med över 200 organisationer kräver Diakonia att den dödliga israeliska distributionen av bistånd i Gaza, inklusive Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) stoppas. Låt FN, som har erfarenhet och kunskap, leda den humanitära hjälpen.

I dag står palestinier i Gaza inför ett omöjligt val: Att svälta eller att riskera att skjutas till döds när de desperat försöker få tag på mat för att kunna föda sina familjer.

På mindre än en månad har mer än 500 palestinier dödats och nästan 4 000 skadats när de har försökt få tag på nödhjälp. Israelisk militär öppnar nu rutinmässigt eld mot desperata civila som riskerar livet bara för att överleva.

Svältande människor tvingas vandra i timmar genom stridszoner, de tvingas till kaotisk kapplöpning till inhägnade, militariserade utdelningsplatser med en enda ingång. Där släpps tusentals in för att kämpa om begränsad tillgång till mat. Och där dödas människor, även barn.

Detta är inte en humanitär insats.

Denna normalisering av lidande får inte fortsätta. Sverige och andra länder måste leva upp till sina skyldigheter enligt internationell humanitär rätt och se till att de som bryter mot internationell lag hålls ansvariga.

Vi som undertecknat uppropet uppmanar alla stater att:

  1. Vidta konkreta åtgärder för att bryta blockaden och se till att civila i Gaza får tillgång till bistånd och skydd.
  2. Inte förvärra situationen och medverka till övergrepp genom att finansiera militariserat bistånd som bryter mot internationell rätt och humanitära principer.
  3. Se till att FN får leda och samordna den humanitära hjälpen och att Unwra, det palestinska civilsamhället och internationella hjälporganisationer inkluderas och att arbetet följer internationell humanitär rätt.

    Vi upprepar vår vädjan om ett omedelbart och varaktigt eldupphör, att alla i gisslan och alla godtyckligt frihetsberövade friges, att fullt humanitärt tillträde säkras och ett slut på den utbredda straffriheten.

    Läs hela uppropet nedan (på engelska)!

    NGOs call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies. The 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies.

    Today, Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families. The weeks following the launch of the Israeli distribution scheme have been some of the deadliest and most violent since October 2023. 

    In less than four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured just trying to access or distribute food. Israeli forces and armed groups - some reportedly operating with backing from Israeli authorities - now routinely open fire on desperate civilians risking everything just to survive.

    The humanitarian system is being deliberately and systematically dismantled by the Government of Israel’s blockade and restrictions, a blockade now being used to justify shutting down nearly all other aid operations in favour of a deadly, military-controlled alternative that neither protects civilians nor meets basic needs. These measures are designed to sustain a cycle of desperation, danger, and death. Experienced humanitarian actors remain ready to deliver life-saving assistance at scale. Yet more than 100 days since Israeli authorities reimposed a near-total blockade on aid and commercial goods, Gaza’s humanitarian conditions are collapsing faster than at any point in the past 20 months.

    Under the Israeli government’s new scheme, starved and weakened civilians are being forced to trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race to reach fenced, militarized distribution sites with a single entry point. There, thousands are released into chaotic enclosures to fight for limited food supplies. These areas have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites. With Gaza's healthcare system in ruins, many of those shot are left to bleed out alone, beyond the reach of ambulances and denied lifesaving medical care. 

    Amidst severe hunger and famine-like conditions, many families tell us they are now too weak to compete for food rations. Those who do manage to obtain food often return with only a few basic items - nearly impossible to prepare without clean water or fuel to cook with. Fuel is nearly depleted, bringing critical lifesaving services – including bakeries, water systems, ambulances, and hospitals – to a standstill. Families are sheltering under plastic sheets, operating makeshift kitchens amid the rubble, without fuel, clean water, sanitation, or electricity. 

    This is not a humanitarian response.

    Concentrating more than two million people into further confined areas for a chance to feed their families is not a plan to save lives. For 20 months, more than two million people have been subjected to relentless bombardment, the weaponization of food, water and other aid, repeated forced displacement, and systematic dehumanization - all under the watch of the international community. The Sphere Association, which sets minimum standards for quality humanitarian aid, has warned that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's approach does not adhere to core humanitarian standards and principles.

    This normalization of suffering must not be allowed to stand. States must reject the false choice between deadly, military-controlled food distributions and total denial of aid. States must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, including prohibitions on forced displacement, indiscriminate attacks, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. States must ensure accountability for grave violations of international law. 

    We, the undersigned organizations, once again call on all third states to:

    • Take concrete measures to end the suffocating siege and uphold the right of civilians in Gaza to safely access aid and receive protection. 
    • Urge donors not to fund militarized aid schemes that violate international law, do not adhere to humanitarian principles, deepen harm, and risk complicity in atrocities. 
    • Support the restoration of a unified, UN-led coordination mechanism—grounded in international humanitarian law and inclusive of UNRWA, Palestinian civil society, and the wider humanitarian community—to meet people’s needs.

      We reiterate our urgent calls for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained prisoners, full humanitarian access at scale, and an end to the pervasive impunity that enables these atrocities and denies Palestinians their basic dignity. 

      Editor’s Note

      • On 15 June, the Red Cross field hospital in Al Mawasi received at least 170 patients injured while trying to reach a food distribution site. The following day, 16 June, more than 200 patients arrived at the same facility - the highest number recorded in a single mass casualty incident in Gaza. Of that number, 28 Palestinians were declared dead. A WHO official underscored the deadly pattern: “The recent food distribution initiatives by non-UN actors every time result in mass casualty incidents.”
      • These deaths add to the broader toll: since October 2023, over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including at least 17,000 children.

        Signatories: You can check the full list of signatories here (we will update every 24 hours)

        Alla gåvor gör skillnad

        Behoven i Gaza är enorma. Våra samarbetsorganisationer på plats gör allt de kan för att lindra nöden där den är som störst.

        Din gåva behövs!

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