Sigrid Kaag, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza said that the Strip is “hell on earth”, reiterating that aid needs to reach people so they can live a dignified human life.
Kaag spoke to reporters today (16 Sep) after briefing the Security Council on Gaza.
Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, she said that she cannot guess as she is not in the negotiations, however, “every day that passes life in Gaza is unlivable. The risks are high. Disease is continuously at risk of outbreak. Children are not in school. People are living in tents.”
She continued, “This is not the Gaza of before the seventh of October. It is hell on earth. So every day that passes impacts people's lives.”
Asked about humanitarian aid delivery, Kaag said that ensuring aid reaching people in need matters the most.
She said, “when you look at the recipients, the people of Gaza, if we can't retrieve it due to lawlessness, if we can't retrieve it due to the evacuation orders, the fact that fighting is ongoing and the list is long, as you know, it doesn't really matter if it's at the border, it has to be in Gaza, it has to be distributed.”
Kaag noted that the lack of effective deconfliction, the denials, the delays at crossings and the security incidents also hinder aid delivery.
She said, “from the first time I took on this role for 2720, I've said we should stop counting trucks. It's not about trucks. It's about what people need in its totality, as fellow human beings.”
“We're way, way off what people need, not only daily, but also what we would all consider a dignified human life,” she said.
Asked about her recent trip to Gaza, the humanitarian official said, “ We have had constructive meetings always. I'm received at the highest levels. I meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu, members of his war cabinet. I also meet with the Chief of staff of the armed forces across the board. My mission has received a facilitation. We've received visas and all the facilitation that is required to do our work. I speak for my mission. In this particular question.”
Kaag visited Thursday (5 Sep) the Japanese clinic in Gaza Strip affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The humanitarian official was briefed on the polio vaccination campaign led by various UN organizations. She also took part in administering vaccines to several children as a symbolic gesture to highlight the importance this vaccination campaign against polio in Gaza.
