Asia Pacific Report
The New Zealand government must turn concern for besieged Palestinians into urgent, practical action, says a Palestinian advocacy group.
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand has called on the government to take “immediate diplomatic and financial action” following the UN World Food Programme’s announcement that 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza will lose their monthly food assistance because of lack of funds.
“This is not an abstract budget issue. It is a decision that will affect the daily survival of hundreds of thousands of people who have endured years of war, displacement, destruction and deprivation,” said Palestine Forum chair Maher Nazzal in a statement.
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He said the World Food Programme had warned that its assistance was being severely reduced just as winter approached.
“Food rations are being halved, cash assistance is being cut, and the provision of hot meals is being reduced,” he said.
Meanwhile, about 1.4 million people in Gaza continue to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse.
“No family should be left wondering where their next meal will come from because the international community has failed to fund humanitarian assistance,” Nazzal said.
What the Palestine Forum seeks
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand has called on the New Zealand government to:
- Provide urgent additional humanitarian funding for the World Food Programme and trusted humanitarian organisations delivering food, clean water, medical care and essential supplies to Palestinians in Gaza;
- Mobilise international support by working with like-minded governments to close the WFP’s funding gap and ensure that humanitarian assistance is sustained rather than progressively reduced;
- Use New Zealand’s diplomatic influence to press Israel to ensure the safe, rapid and sustained entry and distribution of sufficient humanitarian aid throughout Gaza, without arbitrary restrictions or obstruction;
- Demand full implementation of the ceasefire and protection of civilians, alongside compliance with international humanitarian law and the removal of barriers preventing Palestinians from accessing essential supplies; and
- Adopt a sustained humanitarian response, with transparent commitments and regular public reporting on New Zealand’s contributions and diplomatic efforts to address the crisis in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory.
“New Zealand cannot resolve this crisis alone, but it can make a meaningful contribution,” said Nazzal. “It can provide funding, mobilise other countries and use its diplomatic relationships to press for action.
He said the international community must not “allow a fragile improvement in food security to be reversed because humanitarian funding has fallen short”.
Humanitarian assistance needed to be based on need, “not donor fatigue or shifting political attention”.
“Palestinians in Gaza are not statistics. They are human beings, families, children and older people who deserve food, safety and dignity,” Nazzal said.
