EMERGENCY NGO on the Announced Ceasefire in Gaza
“We have anxiously waited for this ceasefire, which is a great achievement. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that everything is over,” commented Francesco Sacchi, EMERGENCY’s Head of Mission in Gaza. “The issues generated by the last 15 months of violence are enormous. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, and there is a long and difficult road ahead to reach a semblance of normality. For those who have been forced to leave their homes in northern Gaza in recent months, simply returning is difficult, since much of the territory has been completely destroyed by bombing.”
Since EMERGENCY entered the Gaza Strip in August 2024, it has witnessed the humanitarian situation continue to deteriorate day after day. In an outpatient clinic in al-Mawasi – within the so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ – EMERGENCY’s doctors and nurses support Palestinian staff from the local NGO CFTA (Culture & Free Thought Association). Every day, they assist patients and sometimes entire families with respiratory and skin diseases due to the incredibly poor health and living conditions, consequences of living in tents and overcrowded, informal housing. More than 80% of Gaza has been subjected to evacuation orders, and about 90% of the population lives in tents and other makeshift accommodation. [OCHA Snapshot, 14 January]
“Upon hearing the news that an agreement had been reached, hundreds of people poured into the streets near our clinic. Children and adults cheered, whistled and blew car horns, but unfortunately we can still hear many explosions in the distance,” says Eleonora Colpo, EMERGENCY’s Nurse in Gaza. “We hope that the ceasefire will allow more humanitarian aid to enter the territory, because from the beginning we have encountered daily difficulties in bringing in not only basic necessities like food and water, but also medicines and medical devices used to provide the population with the healthcare assistance that is needed.”
For these reasons, EMERGENCY is continuing basic healthcare activities in the al-Mawasi clinic. Next week, the NGO will open a new clinic in the al-Qarara area, where it will offer first aid, stabilisation of medical and surgical emergencies, transfer to other hospital facilities, basic medical and surgical assistance for both adults and children, outpatient reproductive health activities, and post-operative nursing follow-up care.