Category: New Zealand NGOs

Source: Save The Children

RAMALLAH, 29 October – One truck carrying 45,000 bottles of water from Save the Children has arrived in Gaza today, as part of the small group of aid trucks which have been approved entry through the Rafah crossing.  

Another truck carrying another 45,000 bottles of water is likely to cross in the coming day. These two trucks carrying aid from Save the Children have been waiting to cross into Gaza since October 16.  

While every possible opportunity to respond to the urgent needs in Gaza is important, these two trucks – part of only a limited group that are permitted – will in no way meet the colossal scale of needs. According to the UN, around 100 trucks of humanitarian supplies per day are needed to meet the needs of the more than two million residents of Gaza. So far, the total number of trucks that have entered Gaza is below that daily requirement. 

The availability of water, food, fuel, and medical supplies is critically low in Gaza. The lack of fuel poses a significant challenge to the distribution of aid, even once additional trucks have crossed the border.  

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said:  

“While every piece of aid reaching families in Gaza matters, the current rate of delivery is nowhere near enough. Even before the current escalation, 80% of Gaza’s population relied on humanitarian aid to meet basic needs. Children and their families desperately need food, water and medical supplies, as well as fuel, shelter, and hygiene items.  

“Historically, the vast majority of aid to Gaza has come through the two crossings with Israel, for humanitarian workers and humanitarian supplies – Erez and Kerem Shalom respectively, – which are currently closed. Even if all crossings were open, it is unlikely that the huge severity and scale of children and families’ needs would be met, particularly given the impact the 16-year blockade has had on the environment, infrastructure, services, and basic life prospects for those in the Gaza Strip.  

“There must be consistent safe passage for humanitarian aid and personnel, and it must happen now. Time is costing lives.” 

-ENDS- 

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953. Save the Children’s team in the occupied Palestinian territory has been working around the clock, prepositioning vital supplies to support people in need, and working to find ways to get assistance into Gaza.   

Save the Children has been working in Egypt since 1982 and we currently have 280 staff and a large network of local and international partners. Through our current programme, we provide protection support, health services, education, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPPS), livelihood interventions and support children and youth campaigning.  

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For further enquiries please contact:

–           Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

RAMALLAH, 29 October – The number of children reported killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones since 2019, Save the Children said.

Since October 7, more than 3,257 children have been reported killed, including at least 3,195 in Gaza, 33 in the West Bank, and 29 in Israel, according to the Ministries of Health in Gaza and Israel respectively. The number of children reported killed in just three weeks in Gaza is more than the number killed in armed conflict globally – across more than 20 countries – over the course of a whole year, for the last three years.

Children make up more than 40% of the 7,703 people killed in Gaza, and more than a third of all fatalities across the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. With a further 1,000 children reported missing in Gaza assumed buried under the rubble, the death toll is likely much higher.

On Friday, Israeli forces announced “expanded ground operations” in the Gaza Strip, with Save the Children warning it will bring more deaths, injuries and distress while calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Save the Children Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory Jason Lee, said:

“Three weeks of violence have ripped children from families and torn through their lives at an unimaginable rate. The numbers are harrowing and with violence not only continuing but expanding in Gaza right now, many more children remain at grave risk.

“One child’s death is one too many, but these are grave violations of epic proportions. A ceasefire is the only way to ensure their safety. The international community must put people before politics – every day spent debating is leaving children killed and injured. Children must be protected at all times, especially when they are seeking safety in schools and hospitals.”

It is reported that at least 6,360 children in Gaza have also been injured, as well as at least 180 children in the West Bank, and at least 74 children in Israel. More than 200 individuals, including children, remain hostages inside Gaza.

The risk of children dying from injuries has never been higher, with the UN reporting that a third of hospitals across the Gaza Strip are no longer operational due to electricity cuts and a “total siege” by the Government of Israel blocking entry of goods such as fuel and medicine. According to Medecins Sans Frontiers/Doctors without Borders, resulting anaesthesia shortages have meant amputating children without pain relief.

Save the Children is gravely concerned that the unfolding expanded ground operation in Gaza by Israeli forces will unavoidably result in more child casualties, with children’s bodies particularly vulnerable to the explosive weaponry.

Save the Children calls for an immediate ceasefire. We call on all parties to the conflict to take immediate steps to protect the lives of children, and on the international community to support those efforts, as is their obligation.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• According to the last three Annual Reports of the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, a total of 2,985 children were killed across 24 countries in 2022, 2,515 in 2021 and 2,674 in 2020 across 22 countries. In 2019, 4,019 children were killed.
• At least 74 children in Israel have been reported injured, according to Israeli media.
• Save the Children is an independent, impartial organisation. With the ongoing complete siege of Gaza, journalists and international organisations are not able to get access to Gaza to verify independently and provide updated data on the impact of ongoing bombardment on the civilian population. Save the Children, in line with OCHA updates, is currently relying on data from the Israeli Ministry of Health for casualties in Israel and from the Gaza Ministry of Health for casualties inside Gaza. Due to the current situation, information and numbers provided by both ministries cannot be verified independently. 

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For further enquiries please contact:

Source: Save The Children

A mattress and clothes in the rubble of a destroyed building in Gaza. [Bissan Owda/ Save the Children]

RAMALLAH, 27 October 2023 – Children are at heightened risk of loss of life, physical harm, severe emotional distress, and protracted displacement following the announced “expanded ground operations” by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, said Save the Children. 

Children will bear the brunt of the “intensification of attacks” in Gaza, with more deaths, injuries and distress likely, said the aid agency, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The announcement came amid reports of increased airstrikes, with internet and mobile phone services completely cut-off. Save the Children has lost contact with its team in Gaza.

While the scale and nature of this operation remain unclear, in the event of a full ground incursion, more than one million children’s lives – nearly half of the 2.3 million population of Gaza – will be on the line. This includes an unknown number of child hostages taken from Israel into the Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, Shadi*, a Save the Children team member in Gaza, sent a message saying:

“I’m trying to reach out to people, but there is no connection at all… We could all die, we could survive, we could survive, we could…. pray for us.”

Save the Children is horrified by the rapidly escalating violence, and the profound humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. 

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director in the occupied Palestinian territory, said:

“This is pure horror for all children and their parents. Across the Gaza Strip, more than one million children are trapped in the middle of an active conflict zone with no safe place to go and no route to safety. With communications down, children are cut-off from the world, more isolated than ever before. They are unable to speak to loved ones, or even to call an ambulance. 

“The Gaza Strip is a small, densely populated urban environment, with no way out. Any military ground operation inside Gaza puts children in immediate danger and has devastating impacts on access to healthcare, water, shelter and food.  

“Civilians and infrastructure essential for their lives, such as hospitals and schools must be spared from violence. The conflict has already killed more than 3,000* children in under three weeks. Despite Save the Children and thousands of other voices calling for an urgent ceasefire, we are seeing an increase in military operations. We call on all parties to the conflict to take immediate steps to protect the lives of children, and on the international community to support those efforts, as is their obligation.”

 

 

*Figure from the Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

      

Source: Save The Children

Rachel*, a 15-year-old climate campaigner, in front of her family’s house that was badly damaged during the tropical cyclones in March 2023. | Damian Mobbs / Save the Children Vanuatu

Multimedia content from other cyclones in March 2023 available for download here.

27 October 2023: Category Five Tropical Cyclone Lola in Vanuatu has claimed at least two lives and caused widespread, severe damage to hundreds of homes, schools and food gardens in a country still reeling from the category four twin cyclones that devastated communities in March 2023, Save the Children said.  

The child right’s organisation will be delivering shelter and hygiene kits to displaced people and setting up Child Friendly Spaces in evacuation centres. With at least 100 schools impacted, including 70 that have either been entirely destroyed or are in need of major repairs, Save the Children is also setting up temporary learning spaces, including for older students who are due to sit final exams in the coming weeks.

The most heavily impacted areas include Pentecost, Malekula and Ambrym, where it is estimated that 50% of all homes have been damaged. An estimated 50,000 – 80,000 people have been significantly impacted, including up to 40,000 children. Two women, including a pregnant woman, have been reported killed in Ambrym.   

TC Lola, the earliest Category Five cyclone on record in the southern hemisphere and only the seventh pre-season South Pacific cyclone since 1970, made landfall in the evening of 24 October with wind speeds of up to 215kph.

It follows back-to-back category 4 cyclones, which hit in March, impacted more than 80% of Vanuatu’s population of about 320,000 people, caused widespread destruction of homes, buildings, and food gardens and disrupted water, power, and telecommunication services.

November 1 marks the official beginning of cyclone season in the Pacific and it is expected to be a dangerous one, with up to 14 cyclones predicted to hit the region between November and April, according to New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. Vanuatu, Fiji and the Northern Cook Islands are expected to be worst affected.  

Climate induced disasters disproportionately impact children and young people, particularly as a result of disruption to education and psychosocial trauma associated with ongoing experiences of intensifying disasters.

“We have experienced three terrifying cyclones this year, and it is not even November yet,” said Chloe, a 14-year-old from Vanuatu.

“For young people, especially those who have not already experienced cyclones, it can be very scary. You know a cyclone is coming and so you just have to sit there and wait for it. Seeing it come closer and closer can be a terrifying experience but it’s just how life is here, and we can’t escape that.

“One of the hardest things is not being able to contact your family and friends and so you don’t know if they are okay or what the damage has been elsewhere in the country. After the last cyclones, so much was destroyed and the trees lost all their leaves, just bare branches hanging in the grey sky.”

Save the Children Vanuatu Country Director Polly Banks explained that the damage from Tropical Cyclone Lola has been extremely severe, leaving children even more fearful of what this cyclone season will bring.  She added:

“It is terribly sad that just eight months on from the devastating twin cyclones in March, Vanuatu has now experienced another major cyclone, which has sadly claimed the lives of two people, including a pregnant woman, and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and schools.

“Children in Vanuatu are now spending half the year wondering when the next big cyclone will hit and whether their homes or schools will be destroyed, or lives put at risk.

“This latest cyclone hit before the cyclone season even officially began and follows a devastating end to the last season. Ni-Vanuatu children are extremely resilient but there is just not enough time between all of these cyclones for children and their families to recover.

“Vanuatu is leading the way in many respects, both through preparing for future climate impacts and taking the issue of climate action to the global stage, but Ni-Vanuatu children face among the greatest exposure to repeated climate disasters of any children around the world and so they need all the support they can get.

“We need to see real commitments from the international community to support Vanuatu and many other climate-vulnerable states around the world, including at COP28 next month.”

Vanuatu is already one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, and as the climate crisis worsens, scientists say tropical cyclones will become more extreme.

Chloe, 14, said she is proud of the work Vanuatu is doing to tackle the climate crisis but said the country cannot do it alone, calling on the international community to step up assistance.
“At the end of the day, we are not going to make a significant impact on helping to reduce emissions because we have a minuscule carbon footprint compared to some countries… Our contributions won’t change much all by itself,” she said.

Save the Children has a long history of responding to emergencies in the Pacific and Vanuatu, ensuring we work alongside the Government of Vanuatu in the coordination of the response.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT:

Emily Wight, Emily.Wight@savethechildren.org;

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

Sana’a, 26 October – Save the Children said on Thursday it is devastated to confirm the death of a staff member who died in detention in Yemen and is calling for an immediate independent investigation. 

Safety and Security Director Hisham Al-Hakimi was detained on 9 September while off duty. Despite repeated attempts by his family, legal representation and Save the Children’s teams, no one was able to see or speak with him throughout the entire period of his detention. 

No charges or legal proceedings were filed by authorities or reason given for his detention in Sana’a. In the circumstances, Save the Children will be suspending operations in Yemen with immediate effect.

Hisham, aged 44 and a husband and father of four, was a dedicated member of the Save the Children family since 2006. Hisham’s commitment to Save the Children’s mission in Yemen will be forever remembered. Save the Children sends its deepest condolences to the grieving family, friends, and colleagues. 

Save the Children has been working in Yemen since 1963, implementing programs in education, child protection, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency response across most of the country. 

ENDS

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For further enquiries please contact:

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Source: Save The Children

NEW YORK, 25 October – The UN Security Council has vetoed yet another ceasefire resolution for Gaza and Israel, in a major blow to children and families seeking an urgent end to the violence, Save the Children said.  

Over 360,000 people and over 500 organisations from 60 countries have signed onto the #CeasefireNOW petition, making a public call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, which was ignored by world leaders who met at the UN today to discuss the resolution.  

The petition also calls for humanitarian assistance to be immediately delivered to people in need, including food, water, medical supplies, and fuel.   

The petition was initiated on 17 October and still remains open for signatures.  

Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, Jason Lee, said:    

“Children in Gaza and Israel urgently need the UN Security Council to put aside the politics, come together, and prioritise the lives and futures of the over one million children living in Gaza and three million of children in Israel.   It is a disgrace that the UN’s highest decision-making body for international peace and security cannot overcome its differences to protect the children who need it most.  

“There must be a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel. We call on all parties to the conflict to take immediate steps to protect the lives of children, of families, of civilians, and on the international community to support those efforts.  Everything possible must be done to protect children from harm – and provide them with the support they need. 

“We call for the UN General Assembly to do what the Security Council will not, and pass a resolution that demands a ceasefire, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance, including fuel, in line with international humanitarian law (IHL), return of all hostages, and an end on attacks on civilians.” 

ENDS

Editor’s Note: 

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For further enquiries please contact:

–          Randa Ghazy Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org

–          Samantha Halyk samantha.halyk@savethechildren.org

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Source: Save The Children

Ramallah, 24 October – At least 870 children are missing in Gaza and feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, as relentless bombardments, decimated infrastructure including roads, and lack of fuel due to the ongoing siege prevent rescue workers from reaching them.

Since violence escalated in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory on 7 October, at least 2,360 children have been killed in Gaza and 5,364 injured. According to Israeli media, 28 children were killed in Israel and at least 220 people are currently held captive in Gaza, including children.

A doctor at Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza told Save the Children that concerns over missing people and the increasing number of separated children are growing, adding that he received at least 10-12 cases of separated children in his hospital and several other cases of deceased children whose bodies hadn’t been identified or claimed by any relatives.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said they received at least 1,550 reports of missing persons still under the rubble, including 870 children.  

Rescue efforts are severely complicated by the ongoing bombardments and shortage of fuel, which essential search and rescue equipment relies on, as well as a lack of heavy machinery in Gaza. 

According to the UN, at least 34 rescue workers have been killed in the conflict in Gaza in the past fortnight, with at one rescue worker killed and four injured while on duty. Rescue workers have warned that the disruption of electricity and lack of fuel is taking a heavy toll on their work, preventing them from accessing wounded people or retrieve dead bodies from the rubble of bombed homes. 

For those children still alive yet trapped under the rubble, they are likely to be suffering from severe physical trauma- including complex crush injuries – dehydration, and extreme mental distress, said Save the Children. For those who have been rescued but have suffered severe injuries, most are unable to receive even basic treatment because the health system is barely functioning. Relentless airstrikes have damaged hospitals and pulverized ambulances, generators are running out of fuel, and shortages of medicine, equipment and specialized personnel mean that those hospitals that are still open are barely able to treat injured people. With no safe passage out of Gaza through the crossings, injured children and their families are also being denied lifesaving, specialised treatment outside the Gaza Strip.  

Save the Children is also deeply concerned for the dignity of those children that have not survived by whose bodies remain trapped under rubble. Beyond the trauma endured by parents not knowing whether their children are still alive, parents are also being denied the ability to bury their children in accordance with their cultural beliefs.  

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said:    

“It is unconscionable that there are hundreds of children trapped under the rubble, with rescue teams struggling to reach them. They will undoubtedly be in extreme pain, terrified, alone, and waiting for help. If there is not a ceasefire, if the siege is not lifted, this help will simply not come for many.  

Many of those who are rescued will not receive the treatment they need, as healthcare has been another casualty of this war. All parties must ensure that children who need specialised and life-saving care can receive it outside of Gaza. 

Children in Gaza have been through unimaginable horror. They’ve lost their homes, their loved ones, their safety. We must make every effort to ensure that thousands more don’t lose their lives. All parties must agree to an immediate ceasefire. With every hour that passes, more children’s lives will be the cost.” 

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

Due to the current situation, information and numbers provided by the Ministry of Health in Gaza and Israel’s Ministry of Health cannot be verified independently.

Source: Save The Children

Ramallah, 23 October – At least 2,000 children have been killed in Gaza over the past 17 days, and a further 27 killed in the West Bank, with constant airstrikes reducing thousands of buildings across the Gaza Strip to piles of smoking rubble. A further 27 children were killed in Israel, according to Israeli media. 

Thousands of homes, and dozens of playgrounds, schools, hospitals, churches and mosques have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza, with at least 4,600 children injured as reported by the Ministry of Health – some with excruciating burns, lost limbs and other horrific blast injuries,  and unable to receive adequate care. The damage to health infrastructures and the lack of medical supplies are forcing doctors to make impossible choices like performing surgery on hospital floors, often without anesthesia, and hampering their ability to treat patients with life-changing injuries. 

With the Gaza Strip a small, densely populated urban environment, relentless airstrikes are continuing to kill and injure children indiscriminately. Over 1 million children are trapped in the middle of the active conflict zone with no safe place to go and no route to safety.   

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said:   

“Active conflict, including relentless airstrikes, in such a small, densely populated city is leading to a shockingly high civilian death toll. Children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of explosive weapons – their bodies are thrown harder and further by the blasts. Their bones bend more, increasing the chances of long-term deformities with little chance of recovery. They have less blood to lose. They are unlikely to receive the specialist medical care they need, with health systems often at the point of collapse and fewer trained surgeons available.  The lack of medicines, electricity, and much needed water in the hospitals means that facilities can barely function. 

“With the death toll climbing, children are at risk and terrified. Children have been killed and injured in every major escalation, not to mention suffering from serious longer term mental health impacts – they’ve never emerged unscathed. 

“There must be a ceasefire agreed immediately. It can’t come quickly enough. We call on all parties to take immediate steps to protect the lives of children, and on the international community to support those efforts.  Everything possible must be done to protect children from harm – and provide them with the support they need. Children who need specialised and life-saving care must be able to receive it outside Gaza.  The only way to truly protect children’s lives is to halt this violence.” 

– ENDS –

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For further enquiries please contact:

 

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Please also check our Twitter account @Save_GlobalNews for news alerts, quotes, statements and location Vlogs.

Source: Save The Children

RAMALLAH, 20 October – All of Gaza’s one million children have virtually no access to essential healthcare services after heavy bombardments for almost 14 days compounded by the ongoing siege imposed on 9 October, said Save the Children. 

The aid agency is calling for urgent medical evacuations of children from Gaza as the window to save desperately ill and injured children is closing fast and also launching the Gaza Emergency appeal to raise $55 million to support children and families affected by this escalation. 

Mortality rates in Gaza, beyond the direct casualties of the hostilities, have been on the rise with the ongoing violence impacting hospitals, ambulances and health workers and causing power blackouts in a health system already crippled by a 16-year blockade. 

The scale of the emergency and the lack of medical supplies are forcing doctors to make impossible choices like performing surgery on hospital floors, often without anesthesia, and storing body bags in ice cream trucks, as morgues and cemeteries run out of space. To keep emergency rooms operational, vital procedures such as sterilization and dialysis may soon be halted.  

Since violence escalated in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory on 7 October, the World Health Organization has documented 59 attacks on health care in Gaza, damaging 26 hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Four hospitals in northern Gaza are no longer functioning as a result of the damage. 

This, combined with a lack of electricity and supplies, has led to the shutdown of more than 60% of primary health care facilities at a time when they’re needed most. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, about 4,232 children have been injured since the start of the escalation and 1,524 children lost their lives. 

On 17 October, a hospital in northern Gaza was hit, killing hundreds of people, including many women and children who were sheltering from the air raids. 

Shireen*, a Save the Children staff member in Gaza, said: 

“I am moving between different places that are supposed to be ‘safe’. I’ve seen elderly people, people with disabilities and special needs begging us to stay with them. They were helpless. I’ve had no choice but to run. The situation is desperate. The shelter I am in is supposed to house 300 people – there are now 25,000 people. I have water – I want to share it, but how can I give it to some and not others?” 

Aid agencies are increasingly concerned about dehydration and diseases as water and sanitation services in the Gaza strip have also collapsed. The appalling state of sanitation and hygiene in emergency shelters carries additional health risks, such as waterborne disease outbreaks, which would be particularly deadly to children. 

According to media reports, the only cancer hospital in Gaza has been forced to shut down due to fuel shortages, and most hospitals have been operating at a minimum capacity, endangering the lives of over 9,000 cancer patients dependent on chemotherapy treatment. The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, the only facility in Gaza providing chemotherapy, is struggling to remain operational, relying on a single electricity generator.  

Ongoing violence has also impacted women’s health, with tens of thousands of pregnant women and newborn babies’ lives hanging in the balance. UNFPA estimates there are currently 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza – of whom 5,500 expected to deliver in the next month – who are unable to obtain basic health services. 

Even before the bombardments and siege on Gaza, access to life-saving healthcare services for children was already hampered by a 16-year blockade. Save the Children analysis showed that in the first six months of 2023, nearly 400 children in Gaza – or at least two children a day – were denied permits to go to the West Bank for critical healthcare, leaving them unable to access to life-saving surgery or urgent medication. 

Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 

“What we are seeing unfold is the ‘perfect storm’ for a public health catastrophe – and children’s lives will be the inevitable cost. Even before this latest escalation, the health system was on the verge of collapse – and it’s now at breaking point.  We’ve all seen the horrific scenes of injured people lying on the floors and children shivering from shock in crammed hospital hallways. Children who need specialised medical care need to be evacuated now or they will die – it’s as simple as that.  

“Denying children access to lifesaving healthcare is a violation of the most basic responsibility to protect the sick from ill treatment and ensure medical care. It is imperative that health facilities are spared from the violence. Children who need specialised and life-saving care must be able to receive it outside Gaza.”  

—

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409

Source: Save The Children

We have witnessed unfathomable death and destruction in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Thousands of people have been killed, injured, displaced, and nearly two hundred remain held hostage, including children and elderly.

In Gaza, the UN has said that water, food, fuel, medical supplies, and even body bags, are running out due to the siege. The UN warned that people – particularly young children – will soon start dying of severe dehydration. Neighbourhoods have been destroyed and turned into complete rubble. Palestinians in search of safety have nowhere to go. Many of those who relocated from northern Gaza to the south after the relocation order by the Israeli army were reportedly bombed as they attempted to flee or once they arrived in southern Gaza.  

The events of the last week have led us to the precipice of a humanitarian catastrophe and the world can no longer wait to act. It is our collective responsibility.

On Sunday, October 15th, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator to the Occupied Palestinian Territory appealed to all parties to the conflict, and to Member States with influence, to urgently agree to a humanitarian ceasefire.

Today, we put our voices together and call on all Heads of State, the UN Security Council, and actors on the ground, to prioritize the preservation of human life above all else. During this ceasefire, we call on all parties to unconditionally:

1. Facilitate the delivery of lifesaving assistance, including food, medical supplies, fuel, and the resumption of electricity and internet to Gaza, in addition to safe passage of humanitarian and medical staff  
2. Free all civilian hostages, especially children and elderly
3. Allow humanitarian convoys to reach UN facilities, schools, hospitals, and health facilities in northern Gaza and commit to protecting them along with the civilians and staff inside them at all times
4. Rescind orders by the Government of Israel for civilians to depart northern Gaza
5. Allow patients in critical condition to be medically evacuated for urgent care

The UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General and all world leaders with influence must take immediate action to ensure a ceasefire comes into effect. It remains our only option to avert further loss of civilian life and humanitarian catastrophe. Anything less will forever be a stain on our collective conscience.

Civilians are not bargaining chips. Families need a chance to bury and mourn their dead. The cycle of violence against innocent civilians needs to stop.

Signatories

11.11.11

38 Degrees

50:50 NI

ABCD Bethlehem

Abductees Mothers Association

Academic Foundation for Peace-Conflict Studies

ACAT France

ACTION AGAINST HUNGER

Action Corps

Action For Humanity

ActionAid International

Africa4Palestine

Africans Rising

Afro-Middle East Centre

Agaji Global Unity Foundation, Nigeria

Agriculture Developmrnt Associations PARC

Ajyal Foundation for Education

Al Basma Club for the Disabled

Al-Nidal Association for Human Rights

Alliance Internationale -AIDL

Alquds center for Political Studies

American Friends Service Committee

Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action)

Americares

Amis de Sabeel France

Amos Trust

Anera

AOI

Arab foundation for civil society and human rights

Arab NGO Network for Development

Armadilla Scs

ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth

Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz

Asia Pacific Network for International Education and Values Education (APNIEVE)-Philippines

Asociación Otra Escuela

Association Ifriqiya

Association of War Affected Women

ASSOPACEPALESTINA

Avaaz

Baptist Union of Wales

Basmeh & Zeitooneh for Relief and Development

BELaady Organization for Human Rights

Belgian Academics and Artists for Palestine

bina

Bond, the UK network for INGOs

Broederlijk Delen

Bytes For All, Pakistan

Caesar Families Association

CAFOD

Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)

CARAS

Care International

Carolina Peace Center

CCFD-Terre Solidaire

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights

Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)

Center for Human Rights in Iran

Center for Peace Education, Miriam College

Central Asian Network on Statelessness

Centre for human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED)

Centre for Peace Research and Advocacy -CPRA

CESVI

cfd – The feminist Peace Organisation

Change Horizons Forum

ChildFund Alliance

Christian Aid

Christian Aid Ireland

Church and Peace –  Ecumenical peace church network in Europe

Church World Service

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)

CIDSE

CISP

CISS – COOPERAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE SUD SUD

City of Sanctuary Sheffield

CIVICUS

CNCD-11.11.11

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Asia Pacific

Coexist Community kitchen CIC

Committee to Protect Journalists

COPE Cooperazione Paesi Emergenti

COSPE

Cotidiana Mujer AFM

Council for Arab-British Understanding

Council on American-Islamic Relations

Counterpoints Arts

CRIC – Centro Regionale d’Intervento per la Cooperazione ETS

Culturel Center Beethoven Bettounssi

DanChurchAid

DanChurchAid

Danish Refugee Council

Daraj Media

DC Peace Team

Défense des Enfants International – Belgique

Defense Foundation for Rights and Freedom

Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

Democracy School

Denis Hurley Peace Institute

Diakonia

Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality

Dóchas

docP – BDS Netherlands

Economistas sin Fronteras

EducAid

Educo Member of ChildFund Alliance

EL SPACE

Embrace the Middle East

English for Action (EFA) London

Entraide & Fraternité

Episcopal Relief & Development

Escola de Cultura de Pau (School for a Culture of Peace)

Eşit Haklar İçin İzleme Derneği

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor

European Alternatives

European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (ECR2P)

European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine – ECCP

European Network on Statelessness

Fédération Internationale pour les droits humains (FIDH)

Feminist Task Force

Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid

Fields of Peace

Foro Ciudadano Relaciones Celac-UE

Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI)

France Palestine Mental Health Network

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Friends of Nablus and Surrounding areas (FONSA)

Fundación Cultura de Paz

Fundación ISCOD – Sindicalistas sin fronteras

FUNDACIÓN MUNDUBAT

Futuro en Común

Gandhi Development Trust Phoenix Settlement Trust

Gender Action for Peace and Security

Gender Advisory Team

Genera: Red de mujeres feministas por la equidad de género en el desarrollo

Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect

Global Communities

Global Health Italian Network

Global Justice Center

Global Justice Now

Global Link

Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP)

Global Rights

Global Witness

GPPAC Pacific-Pacific Women Mediators Network

Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)

Haliéus

Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion

Hawai’i Institute for Human Rights

Health Justice Initiative (HJI) South Africa

Health Poverty Action

HEKS/EPER – Swiss Church Aid

Helen Suzman Foundation

HelpAge Interational

HIAS

Human Life Foundation for Development and Relief

Human Rights & Democracy Media Center ‎‏“‏SHAMS‏”‏

Human Rights Sentinel

Humans for Rights Network

Husna Foundation

ICNA

ICNA Council for Social Justice

ICNA Council for Social Justice (ICNA CSJ)

IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation

IM Swedish Development Partner

Ina autra senda – Swiss Friends of Combatants for Peace

INGO ALG CONSULTING GROUP

Innovation for Change – Middle East and North Africa

Innovation for Change South Asia

Institute for Policy Studies – New Internationalism Project

Institute for Security Studies

Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion

International Federation for Human Rights

International Press Institute

International Rescue Committee

INTERSOS

IPMHN Ireland Palestine Mental Health Network

Iraqi Women Network

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Islamic Center of Boca Raton

Islamic Center of Detroit

Islamic Center of Yorba Linda

Islamic Relief

Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)

Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK- UK

Israelisches Komitee gegen Hauszerstörungen (ICAHD) Germany

Japan international Volunteer Center(JVC)

Jewish Network for Palestine

Jewish Voice for Democracy and Justice in Israel/Palestine jvjp, Switzerland

Jewish Voice for Peace Albuquerque

Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council

Jews against the Occupation Sydney

Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

Jusoor Center for Studies and Development

Kairos Palestine

Kairos Palestine Sweden

Kairos Sabeel Netherlands

Kenya Human Rights Commission

KURVE Wustrow – Centre for Training and Networking in Nonviolent Action e.V.

La Coordinadora de ONGD -España

Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights

Lebanese Union for persons with physical disability/Arab forum for the rights of persons with disabilities

Liberian Energy Network

Ligue Algérienne de Défense des Droits de l’Homme – LADDH

Lutheran World Federation

MADRE

Marib Girls Foundation

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Medact

Médecins du Monde International Network

Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

medico international

medico international schweiz

MENA Statelessness Network (Hawiati)

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Mercy Corps

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development

Middle East and North Africa Partnership for Preventing of Armed Conflict – MENAPPAC

Middle East Children’s Alliance

Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND)

Migrant Roots Media

Min Haqi Foundation to empower women politically and economically

Misereor

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre (Australian Province)

Mouvement Social

Musaala Organization for Human Rights

Muslim Aid

Muslim Legal Fund of America

Mwatana for Human Rights

Naseef Muallem

National Cancer Control Foundatin – Yemen

Nationality For All

Network of the independent Commission for Human rights in North Africa CIDH AFRICA

NGO SPES

NGOs Platform of Saida – Tajamoh

Nobel Women’s Initiative

Nonviolence Network in the Arab Countries

Nonviolent Peaceforce

Nophotozone

North American Imams Fellow

North West Migrants Forum

Northern Friends Peace Board

Norwegian Church Aid

Norwegian Refugee Council

OMCT Tunisia

Outright International

Oxfam

Palestinian Human Rights Organisation “PHRO”

PARCIC

PAX

Pax Christi Australia

Pax Christi International

Pax Christi Pilipinas

Pax Christi USA

Peace and freedom ORG.( PFO)

Peace Boat

Peace Committee, 15th St. Friends Meeting, NYC

Peace Direct

Peace Organization for Peaceful Coexistence

Peace Watch Switzerland

Peace Winds Japan

Peacemaker Trust

Permanent Peace Movement

Piattaforma OSC italiane in Medio Oriente e Mediterraneo

Plan International USA

Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine

PREMIERE URGENCE INTERNATIONALE

Première Urgence Internationale

Project on Middle East Democracy

Protection Approaches

PVE for Peace

PVE Works

Quakers in Britain

Rainbow Refugees NI

Rebuilding Alliance

Reclaim The Sea

Red Dot Foundation Global

RefuAid

Refugee Support Group

ReThinking Foreign Policy

Revista La Mar de Onuba

Right to Movement Palestine

Rights Realization Centre

Romanian Peace Institute – PATRIR

Roshanka

Sabeel

Sabeel Kairos Norway

Sabeel-Kairos UK

Salam for Democracy and Human Rights

Salam For Yemen

SALAM NGO

SAM Organization for Rights and Libertie

Sanad alBasra Organization for Human Rights

Save the Children

SB Overseas Soutien Belge

Schengen Peace Foundation

Search for Common Ground

Secours Islamique France (SIF)

SEDRA-FEDERACIÓN PLANIFICACIÓN FAMILIAR

SEEN.TV

Seenaryo

Sheba Youth Foundation

Shining Star educational organization of Afghanistan

Shma Koleinu – Alternative Jewish Voices of NZ

Social Development Hodeida Girls Foundation

Solutions for a Small Planet

SOS Children’s Villages Palestine

SOS Children’s Villages the Netherlands

SOS Childrens Villages International

Statefree

Ster

STOPAIDS

Strategic Dialogue Group

Study sky academy

SUDS – International association of solidarity and cooperation

Syrian American Medical Society

Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).

Syrians for Truth and Justice

Tamkeen for Legal Aid and Human Rights

Tanzania Community Health Information and Support

Terre Des Hommes Foundation Lausanne

Terre des Hommes International Federation

Terre des Hommes Italia

The Center for Mind Body Medicine

The Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation

The Episcopal Church

The Foundation for Middle East Peace

The Khalifa Ihler Institute

The Mosque Cares | Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed

The Palestinian Return Centre

The Pickwell Foundation

The United Church of Canada

the3million

UK-Palestine Mental Health Network

UN Association of San Diego

UN Youth Association of Romania – Cluj Branch

United Against Inhumanity

United Nations Association – UK

University Network for Human Rights

UOSSM International

US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO)

Vento di Terra

VIS

Viva Salud

VOLONTARI NEL MONDO RTM

Vrede vzw

War Child Holland

War Child Sweden

War Child UK

War Childhood Museum

War on Want

We Effect

Welfare Association (UK)

WESPAC Foundation, Inc.

WeWorld – Member of ChildFund Alliance

WILPF Spain

Womankind Worldwide

Women and Gender Institute

Women for Peace

Women for Women International

Women for Women International

Women in Black Vienna

Women Political Alliance – Kenya

Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counselling (WCLAC)

Women’s Institute for Leadership Development

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom UK

Women’s International Peace Centre

Womens Refugee Commission

World Federalist Movement/ Institute for Global Policy

World Student Christian Federation

Worldwide Women’s Forum

Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation

Youth Against Irregular Migration

Youth Vision Society

Youths Volunteering for Sustainable Development (YOVSUD)

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For further enquiries please contact:

Randa Ghazy – Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org