Resuming Programming in Gaza Following Aid Worker Attacks
As of this morning, Saturday, April 6th, Project HOPE has resumed all programming in Gaza. This comes after a three-day pause following the tragic killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Deir al Balah. We have used this time to gauge the official response from the Israeli authorities to the attack and to reevaluate our security protocols moving forward.
This horrifying attack raised significant questions for humanitarian operations in Gaza, including doubts about the effectiveness of deconfliction mechanisms that have been established to protect aid workers like sharing aid operation coordinates with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Over the last several months, we have used these tools, as well as clearly marking vehicles carrying aid shipments and Project HOPE personnel, to help ensure the safety of our staff in Gaza.
While we will continue to participate in the deconfliction process, we remain concerned that the mechanism does not provide any guarantee that the safety of our staff is ensured. As such, we will continue to employ additional risk mitigation measures that will allow our staff to operate in the safest environment possible given the current circumstances. We will also monitor any changes to the deconfliction mechanisms to determine whether new means of coordination will offer any greater protection to our staff.
Our team understands the ongoing security risks involved and are committed to providing much-needed medical care to communities in Gaza. Our team’s well-being and security is of the utmost importance, and we will continue to evaluate the evolving security situation.
Our team in Gaza will never be safe until there is a ceasefire. We continue to call for all parties to uphold International Humanitarian Law and safeguard aid workers.
