July 7, 2006

JERUSALEM/GENEVA – Eighteen international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have expressed grave concern about the severe impact of the recent actions in Gaza. In a joint statement issued on Friday, 7 July, they call for "the urgent protection of civilians in Gaza, as well as immediate and unobstructed access for the delivery of critical humanitarian aid and supplies necessary to provide for basic human needs." The statement is signed by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and 17 other international NGO partners active in humanitarian relief work in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Referring to Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip the organizations say that, in particular, the damage to essential civilian physical infrastructure has resulted in the complete destruction of Gaza's only electrical power plant and damage to other basic services, including water delivery and sewage treatment facilities. They assert the entitlement of civilians there, particularly children, to special protection under International Humanitarian Law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention. "It is not acceptable to target the vital civilian infrastructure that supports them," they say.

In the context of its humanitarian work in the West Bank, the LWF has repeatedly affirmed, in accordance with international law, patients' right of access to medical care. People in need of life-saving treatments are among the most vulnerable in society, says Rev. Mark Brown, regional representative of the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) regional program in the Middle East. "They should not be denied access to basic essential services and have to suffer further because of severe travel restrictions or damage to infrastructure due to conflict."

Until recently the LWF, through the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH), has been treating cancer patients referred from Gaza. The AVH on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem offers the only radiation treatment facility for cancer patients in the occupied Palestinian territories. The hospital was planning to train more than ten medical professionals from Gaza to staff a new cancer unit there. This program had to be cancelled because of the recent military activity in the Gaza Strip. Now, neither the patients nor the staff from Gaza have any access at all to the AVH services.

The hospital is one of the projects run by the LWF/DWS regional program in the Middle East. The program regularly distributes humanitarian supplies and basic necessities to refugees and people living in poverty to meet immediate needs. Donations from partner agencies like the US-based Lutheran World Relief, and Canadian Lutheran World Relief, make it possible for the LWF to assist those most in need and to promote reconciliation and cooperation in the community. In the current situation, it is no longer possible to get supplies to Gaza for distribution by the churches and partner agencies there. (474 words)

The full text of the statement, in PDF format, is available at: http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/NGOs_on_Gaza_July_2006.pdf.

More information on the work of the LWF/DWS regional program can be found at: http://www.lwfjerusalem.org and about the Augusta Victoria Hospital at: http://www.avh.org/.

Lutheran World Information