Statement by West Bank Humanitarian Task Force

The Humanitarian Task Force for the West Bank expressed its extreme concern at the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory at an emergency session held today in Jerusalem.
As a result of ongoing hostilities resulting in massive destruction and damage to civilian and public infrastructure

• together with total closures and curfews - a large number of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are facing life threatening conditions in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Qalqilya, and Tulkarem. The humanitarian relief community is virtually denied access to these Palestinian self-rule areas currently under Israeli military control.

Aid workers are increasingly compelled to work under fire, at great risk to their security and safety. Systematic harassment, physical and verbal abuse and numerous other obstacles created by the Israeli military authorities obstruct the delivery of life-saving support by international and Palestinian humanitarian organisations. Of particular concern is the continued blatant disrespect for Red Cross/Red Crescent medical personnel and rights of injured for first aid. In the absence of security clearances and guarantees by IDF, the relief community in the West Bank is unable to meet the emergency requirements of the Palestinian population in major West Bank towns and to assess the humanitarian situation in surrounding Palestinian villages.

At this critical stage the international relief community represented at the Humanitarian Task Force meeting warns the parties to the conflict, most notably the Israeli military authorities and the international relief community as whole, that if humanitarian access is denied to national and international relief operators the current crisis could reach catastrophic proportions.

Therefore, the Humanitarian Task Force calls on the Israeli military authorities to grant immediate and unconditional access to humanitarian organisation to assist civilian populations in dire need and to show greater respect for international humanitarian law as stipulated by the Geneva Conventions.

The Humanitarian Task Force is a coordination forum comprising United Nation Agencies, international and Palestinian NGOs, and donor community representatives. The Task Force is mandated to support operational coordination for the humanitarian community operating in the West Bank. A parallel humanitarian forum exists for the Gaza Strip.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
On behalf of the West Bank Humanitarian Task Force