“The blockade of aid must end, and rapid, safe and unimpeded aid must flow freely,” says Elizabeth Funnell, country representative for the Middle East of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
CAFOD is part of Caritas Internationalis and works with communities across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, to fight poverty, injustice, and climate change, and to respond to humanitarian emergencies and help all people in need.
Warnings of imminent famine
The humanitarian emergency in Gaza is at a breaking point. In fact, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), supported by the UN, is warning of an imminent famine.
Despite overwhelming challenges, CAFOD’s local partners are continuing to help people on the ground.
In a statement, Ms. Funnell explained that CAFOD’s statement was in response to Israel saying it will allow limited supplies of food into Gaza, as it announces the launch of an intensified ground offensive.
Calls for ceasefire and unrestricted movement of aid
“CAFOD’s demand remains unchanged since the start of this crisis: an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted aid at scale, and a halt to UK arms sales to Israel,” Ms. Funnell delineated, stating, “Bombing and starving a population and restricting their access to aid is a violation of international law.”
“Thousands of trucks of aid are waiting at the border,” she lamented, urging, “The blockade must end, and rapid, safe and unimpeded aid must flow freely.”
Regardless, CAFOD partners are facing great danger in their work to help those suffering.
Concerns for partners’ safety
For example, over the weekend, airstrikes hit areas close to two medical points run by Caritas Jerusalem, which provide critical health care to communities in urgent need.
In response, CAFOD explained, partners are urgently reassessing the locations of their aid delivery points for safety, but their commitment to help remains steadfast.
Meanwhile, on its partners, running a community kitchen expressed, “I am glad that our community kitchen is still producing some meals, it’s poor nutritionally due to lack of supplies, but better than nothing.”
‘It’s real starvation’
However, the partner warns, “It’s real starvation – they try to call it other things to make it sound better but no, all of us in Gaza are hungry at the end of the day.”
The main medical centre run by Caritas Jerusalem, was closed due to safety concerns and damaged at the start of the crisis in 2023.
Despite insistent bombardment and paralyzing restrictions, the team, just last week, managed to rebuild and successfully reopen the center, which is providing primary healthcare services, such as maternal healthcare and malnutrition advice. It also is training healthcare staff to be deployed around Gaza to reach to people who cannot access other health services.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov | VaticanNews
Source Link: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-05/interview-cafod-gaza-limiting-aid-amid-humanitarian-catastrophe.html
