Jerusalem: More than a hundred aid and human rights organizations issued a unified and urgent plea on Wednesday, calling on world governments to break their silence and take immediate, meaningful action in response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In a powerful statement signed by 111 organizations including Caritas Internationalis the groups condemned what they termed Israel’s “total siege” of the enclave and warned that the region is teetering on the edge of mass starvation.
The signatories are demanding an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the full reopening of all land crossings into Gaza, and the restoration of unrestricted humanitarian access. They stressed that food, water, medical supplies, shelter materials, and fuel must be allowed to flow freely through a United Nations-coordinated humanitarian framework. They also denounced the continued targeting of food distribution centers, pointing to UN-verified reports that at least 875 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access aid with thousands more injured.
“The starvation of civilians is a war crime,” the joint declaration states plainly, warning that more than two million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced following the most recent evacuation orders. The World Food Programme, among others, has sounded the alarm that the current conditions in Gaza have made relief operations virtually impossible to sustain.
Humanitarian agencies also highlighted that vital aid including food and medicine is stockpiled just outside Gaza’s borders, as well as within certain areas of the territory, but has been rendered inaccessible by Israel’s ongoing restrictions. “This is not a failure of the humanitarian system,” the statement reads. “It is a system being actively obstructed.”
Despite public assurances from Israel and the European Union about facilitating humanitarian aid, the groups argue that these declarations have yet to translate into substantive change on the ground. “Empty promises do not fill empty stomachs,” the statement adds, denouncing these overtures as “symbolic gestures” that serve only to mask continued inaction.
The organizations are now urging states to take concrete steps beyond verbal condemnation. These include rejecting any military-led models of aid distribution, restoring a UN-led response rooted in neutrality and humanitarian principles, and halting the transfer of arms and ammunition to parties involved in the conflict.
Calling for governments to act with urgency, the statement closes with a stark warning: “It is time to stop hiding behind process and politics. States can and must save lives before there are none left to save.”