Humanitarian breaks "of four hours in some areas of the northern Gaza Strip." This is what the Israeli army has agreed to put in place, for the time being, as it still refuses a ceasefire. That would mean "surrender" for Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated Thursday night.
But these truces "are insufficient", deplore the humanitarians contacted. While they "aim in theory to allow civilians to leave" to the southern Gaza Strip, explains Jean-François Corty, vice-president of Médecins du Monde, they do not leave time for humanitarian aid to act in the affected areas. "Four hours allows us to do almost nothing," adds Jean-Raphaël Poitou, Middle East advocacy manager for Action Against Hunger.
"A lot of people can't leave"
The evacuation of civilians through these pauses appears to be limited. For several days now, the Israeli army has been communicating about the corridor it opened to allow northern Gazans to flee the most intense fighting areas. In the footage, hundreds of people walk through rubble and tanks, sometimes hoisting white flags. "A lot of people can't leave," says Jean-François Corty. Some are sick and can't move."
🚨Tens of thousands of Gazans are moving to the southern part of the Gaza Strip for their safety.
For the 6th consecutive day, the @IDF has opened an evacuation corridor.
The evacuation corridor is open today 9:00-16:00. #FreeGaza from Hamas. #HumanitarianEffort pic.twitter.com/oB9l5idqSq
— COGAT (@cogatonline) November 10, 2023
Only certain areas, not yet designated, will be affected by these humanitarian pauses anyway. And the way out of the north is not safe. Several testimonies report ongoing fighting along the recently opened corridor.
Some refuse to leave their homes because they do not expect to find refuge in the south. The thousands of people who flock there every day are concentrated in often unsanitary places where access to water, food and medicine is extremely difficult. Not to mention that the region is also bombed. "No one is safe," said Aymeric Elluin, Amnesty International's Arms Advocacy Officer.
"It's impossible to organize in a coherent way"
The limit to these truces is also logistical. The 35 km south-north route, which was done in 1 hour/1 hour and 30 minutes before the Hamas attack on October 7, is much riskier because it can be bombed. In this situation, it is difficult to transport the tons of aid needed by the local population, which lacks everything. And even if trucks were able to reach the northern Gaza Strip, there would be little time to warn people, organize and distribute food, before they would have to leave to avoid the bombing.
"It is impossible to organize in a coherent way" under these conditions, says Jean-Raphaël Poitou. "You need wider windows, several days to get organized. Not just a few hours here and there," says Jean-François Corty. You can't arrange the transport of patients in such a short time." In any case, for the moment, "we know that we can go from north to south, we are not sure of the opposite," stresses Jean-Raphaël Poitou.
Aymeric Elluin also points out the "absurdity" of this system: NGOs would try to bring aid to the North, before the bombing resumes and the aid provided is destroyed.
A necessary ceasefire
All the humanitarians interviewed called for a ceasefire. This would mean a longer cessation of fighting, this time in the entire Palestinian enclave, which would allow civilians who can leave the area, but also humanitarians to respond as best as possible to the colossal needs. A ceasefire would also mean an end to firing on both sides. The proposed truce is indeed binding on Israel, not Hamas.
NGOs are waiting to learn more about these humanitarian truces before deciding how to use them to send aid. They "will do everything they can to take advantage of these mini-breaks," says Jean-Raphaël Poitou. But it's a drop in the bucket compared to today's needs."