2023-12-26 14:11:34
Austria is supporting the “suffering Palestinian civilian population” with additional aid. Specifically, five million euros would be made available for “the vital work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP),” as the Foreign Ministry (BMEIA) announced in a broadcast on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip.
The BMEIA stated that the majority of the population in Gaza is currently dependent on aid deliveries. “Of the five million euros, three million euros will go to the ICRC and two million to the WFP.” The ICRC and WFP would continue to have access to the Gaza Strip and could provide assistance directly on site despite extremely difficult conditions. In addition, these proven collaborations ensure “that the aid from Austria actually benefits the people in Gaza and is not diverted or misused by the terrorist organization Hamas or other terrorist organizations.”
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, triggered by the brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas in October 2023, there has been a dramatic deterioration in the living conditions of the civilian population, and there is even a threat of an acute hunger crisis, the broadcast continued. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) emphasized the urgency of helping the people in Gaza. “The situation in Gaza deeply affects me. The terrorist organization Hamas has ruled the narrow coastal strip with an iron hand since it came to power in 2007 and has done nothing to improve the situation of the civilian population. The immediate release of all remaining hostages from the hands of Hamas remains continues to be a top priority. More humanitarian aid must urgently reach the people of Gaza – the civilian population needs our support and we are helping.”
For example, the funds are used to provide basic “(emergency) health services”. At the same time, access to basic supplies of water, food, blankets and household equipment can be ensured, according to the Foreign Office, which also drew the following conclusion: “Since the beginning of Hamas’ terror, Austria has contributed 13 million euros to support the civilian population in the region. In addition In addition to the five million euros announced today from the funds of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), two million euros were already made available from this pot at the beginning of November. A further six million euros come from the Foreign Disaster Fund (AKF), which is a central instrument of the humanitarian Austria’s aid is located in the Foreign Ministry.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip, according to reports from international news agencies. The army announced on Tuesday morning that dozens of combat aircraft, in conjunction with ground troops, had once again attacked more than 100 targets. Among other things, tunnel shafts belonging to the Islamist Hamas and military installations were attacked. During the night, a terrorist cell in Jabalia that tried to plant explosives near an Israeli tank was eliminated. The troops fought the terrorists. A fighter plane then killed her. Hamas terrorists were also killed the day before in the southern city of Khan Younis. The military’s information could not initially be independently verified.
The Hamas health authority said a total of 52 dead were taken to hospitals in Rafah, Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. The hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which are still working despite more than eleven weeks of war with Israeli air strikes and the deployment of ground troops, are very overloaded. An employee of the UN emergency relief office OCHA reported shocking scenes in a hospital in the Gaza Strip. “What I saw at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah was absolute bloodbath,” Gemma Connell told the BBC. There are many injured people with “extremely serious wounds that cannot be treated because there are so many people ahead of them in line for an operation and the hospital is completely overloaded.” She was quoted as saying on Tuesday that she had to watch “how a nine-year-old boy died with a devastating head injury.”
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is generally becoming more and more catastrophic in view of the Israeli military offensive in the narrow coastal strip. There is looting and chaotic scenes during the distribution of relief supplies. There are currently no signs of the conflicting parties giving in. After reports of a plan by Egypt to end the war, the Islamist Hamas recently rejected a temporary ceasefire and demanded a permanent ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an increase in military operations and spoke of a long war. He called the dismantling of Hamas a prerequisite for peace. The UN and aid organizations are talking about a humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip.
The war was triggered by the terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7th in Israel near the border with Gaza. They killed more than 1,200 people. Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive that has so far killed more than 20,600 people, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
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