Aid Groups to World Leaders: Time to Force Israel to Lift Blockade on Gaza
Over 150,000 people and dozens of humanitarian organizations say it is time for world leaders to force Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza and allow its residents to recover from last year’s 50-day military onslaught, in what the groups are saying is the largest global appeal of its kind.
Released Wednesday, the anniversary of the formal ceasefire, the call notes: “Not one of the 19,000 homes that were bombed and destroyed has been fully rebuilt.”
“[W]e are calling on you to press Israel to end the blockade and to immediately remove wood, steel bars, cement, aggregates, and other essential construction materials from the list of items restricted from entering the Gaza Strip,” reads the call to action, which was issued Wednesday to heads of state from the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, as well as officials from the European Union and United Nations.
“World leaders have pledged $3.5 billion to rebuild Gaza, but Israeli government restrictions on the entry of building material are costing reconstruction efforts severe delays,” continues the letter, whose signatories include Oxfam, ActionAid, Avaaz, and Japan International Volunteer Center. “As concerned citizens, we urge you to take action to press for an end to these restrictions now, so that families are lifted out of the rubble and homes, schools, and hospitals can be built.”
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