According to Tiina Saarikoski, SPR’s director of international aid operations, taking humanitarian aid to Gaza has become even more difficult. Help from the air can fall into the sea.
Humanitarian activities in Gaza have become more difficult all the time, says the director of the Finnish Red Cross’s international aid activities Tiina Saarikoski Up in the morning. According to him, the help does not reach enough.
For example, there was news on Wednesday Israeli forces turned away an aid convoy heading to the northern part of Gaza at a border checkpoint.
According to Saarikoski, they are trying to export food, water, fuel, hygiene supplies, medicines and medical material to Gaza, which will enable the hospitals to function.
Humanitarian organizations have started delivering aid by air as well. According to Saarikoski, airdrops are a sign of desperation.
– It shows that help can’t be reached by other means now. Airdrops are usually the last aid method, which is only used when it is necessary, says Saarikoski.
According to him, the amount of airdropped aid is insufficient.
– Not all help even reaches people, because some of the drops can end up in the sea or in areas where they are not accessible, says Saarikoski.
According to Saarikoski, transporting the aid by road would be the most efficient, because then the aid would be distributed to the right destinations.
The EU plans to open a humanitarian sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza to help the residents of the area. When asked by Saarikoski, the plan sounds good.
– Getting aid to Gaza is necessary at the moment. Larger amounts of aid could certainly be transported by sea, Saarikoski states.
Inhuman conditions
According to Unicef, in Gaza, on average, 340 people share one toilet and one shower for 1,290 people. According to Saarikoski, the situation is inhumane.
– As long as the security situation is bad and getting help is difficult, the situation will remain hopeless. Such conditions cannot be imagined here in Finland, says Saarikoski.
According to Saarikoski, there is no humanitarian aid to solve the situation.
– It’s just a patch that can’t even be put in place at the moment.
Saarikoski underlines the importance of finding a political solution to resolve the humanitarian situation. According to him, aid organizations cannot do that.
Will there be a ceasefire?
Researcher at the Foundation of the Finnish Middle East Institute Antti Tarvainen characterizes the humanitarian situation in Gaza as a political crisis.
– Israel controls the borders and does not allow aid to pass, Tarvainen states.
According to Tarvainen, from a humanitarian point of view, it is of the utmost importance to establish a ceasefire so that aid can be delivered better.
According to Tarvainen, an actual ceasefire is not in sight, although efforts are being made to establish one.
– Israel is in power and they are advancing according to their strategy. Northern Gaza is being emptied and a ground attack on Rafah is certainly being prepared, he says.
Watch the entire interview from ‘s morning: