Caritas Jerusalem asks that humanitarian corridors open in Gaza

The president of Caritas Jerusalem, Anton Asfar, said that the Middle East not only needs a ceasefire but also the opening of the humanitarian corridors so that the help can reach the victims of the conflict in Gaza.

“The situation is very bad in Gaza, we do not need only a high fire, we need the opening of the runners. All are now blocked, so the help in significant amounts does not arrive in Gaza,” said Asfar this June 1 In statements to the Cope chainowned by the Spanish Episcopal Conference.

“We want this high to become a reality and we hope it will be maintained so that we can do our humanitarian work while ensuring help to the community, which has a devastating need for basic needs of their own lives and maintaining their dignity,” added the president of Cáritas Jerusalem.

Insufficient humanitarian aid

Asfar also referred to the humanitarian aid plan launched by Israel and the United States, considered by the United Nations as a “mortal trap” And that to Asfo is not really a humanitarian aid.

“It is small supplies in insignificant quantities for those who need to move and do not have the means to do it. They have to walk long distances to get a box, which is not enough,” he said.

“The dignified way is to reach people, give them the help without the barriers of scrutiny, nor risk that they go to these remote centers installed by the new American company in Gaza with the support of an armed security company,” he added.

Children are the most vulnerable in Gaza

The president of the Charity Organization of the Catholic Church commented that they have 10 medical points in the Gaza Strip, in addition to a medical center, located in the Alsatir refugee camp, which has been recently rehabilitated and is already in operation.

In spite of the efforts of Caritas to provide medical and econic care, Asfar ensures that “there are no adequate supplies in Gaza, nor do they arrive through supplies or private companies that bring products.”

The situation is especially desperate for children who “die of malnutrition.” The president told Cope that medical care is not effective “without adequate nutrition for children, for women, for the elderly and for the most vulnerable community.”

“Therefore, the basic needs are not covered. There is no water, there is no food, there are no fresh meat or vegetables and there are great help convoys that are waiting at the borders to deliver the help of different humanitarian organizations that are working in Gaza,” said Asfar.

The current conflict in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when the extremist group Hamas and other Palestinian militias launched a surprise attack against Israel, in which they killed approximately 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 hostages.

In response, Israel initiated a large -scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has continued to date with massive bombings, land invasion and an almost total blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas, the deaths exceed 54,000 people, mostly civilians, including more than 17,000 children and 10,000 women, and more than 120,000 injured, figures that Israeli authorities question.