Remarks
ADMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: As President Biden outlined last week, a ceasefire deal is on the table – one that would offer immediate relief to the people of Gaza and bring all the hostages home.
This deal would advance Israel’s security, allow for a massive surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and set the conditions for people to return to their home areas. It offers a roadmap for ending the crisis altogether so that we can move towards a long-term reconstruction plan.
But while we wait for Hamas to take this deal that’s on the table, we have to do everything we can to mitigate the suffering of millions of Palestinian civilians now.
As President Biden said last week, “Palestinian civilians have endured sheer hell in this war.” Since Israel’s escalation of hostilities in Rafah, over a million Palestinians – nearly half of Gaza’s population – have been displaced, many of whom were in Rafah seeking safety after already being forced to relocate multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of those who have been displaced lack even a tent for shelter.
Intense fighting continues to put people at risk – and people in Gaza report that they feel nowhere is safe. Partners on the ground have told us that since May 7, they have seen a 500 percent increase in patients with blast injuries and a 600 percent increase in patients with gunshot wounds. Yet the majority of Gaza’s health centers are non-operational. And virtually all 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip require emergency food assistance.
So today, I am announcing more than $90 million in additional shelter; water, sanitation, and hygiene; health and protection assistance; and, of course, food. That brings the total humanitarian aid that the United States has announced for Palestinians since the beginning of the conflict to $270 million. And I am calling on other donors to step up as well and to help meet the staggering levels of need.
We continue to press the Israeli government to do far more to protect aid workers, and to protect Palestinian civilians. Building upon President Biden’s recent coordination with Egypt and Israel on resuming aid from Egypt to Kerem Shalom, we are relentlessly pushing both countries to open the Rafah border crossing, and to keep all crossings into Gaza functioning at maximum capacity. We are also working around the clock with our humanitarian partners to facilitate a massive surge in humanitarian assistance. And we are preparing for a ceasefire, which would prove the best opening to get aid safely and effectively distributed to all who need it.
I want to thank the courageous aid workers who continue to serve – putting their lives at risk to provide civilians in dire need with lifesaving aid.