A Joint Press Release: “Let Us Do Our Jobs” — CEOs of Major Aid Groups in Gaza Warn, Aid System Is Collapsing

LONDON, April 17, 2025 — Humanity & Inclusion (HI) Managing Director Manuel Patrouillard co-signed a joint press release on the collapse of the aid system in Gaza.

After 18 months of war, a staggering toll on civilians and aid workers, and now a six-week total siege, the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is facing total collapse, with the CEOs of 12 major aid organizations making an urgent plea: let us do our jobs.

A new humanitarian access survey of 43 international and Palestinian aid organizations working in Gaza found nearly all of them – 95% – have had to suspend or dramatically cut services since the ceasefire ended one month ago on March 18, with widespread and indiscriminate bombing making it extremely dangerous to move around.

The people of Gaza – particularly women and children – are paying the price. Families are living amongst the rubble of their destroyed homes.  Famine is not just a risk but is likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts of Gaza. The UN has warned that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is the worst it has been in 18 months.

Stripped of the means to keep people alive, hospitals have become morgues. More than 51,000 Palestinians have been reported killed. One of the last partially functioning hospitals, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza, was bombed last Sunday.  

The CEOs of the 12 aid organizations said in their joint statement, 

“This is one of the worst humanitarian failures of our generation. Every single person in Gaza is relying on humanitarian aid to survive. That lifeline has been completely cut off since a blockade on all aid supplies was imposed by Israeli authorities on March 2.” They continued, “We have supplies ready. We have trained medical staff. We have the expertise. What we don’t have is access or the guarantee from Israeli authorities that our teams can safely do their jobs. Survival itself is now slipping out of reach, and the humanitarian system is at breaking point.”

Twenty-four of the surveyed organizations reported increased movement restrictions in Gaza, which impeded their ability to deliver aid. Nineteen aid organizations reported having cargo stuck outside Gaza, totalling at least 9,000 pallets of aid supplies.  

Gaza now holds the disastrous record of being the deadliest place on earth for humanitarian workers. We cannot operate under fire or stay silent while our staff are killed. 

More than 400 aid workers and over 1,300 health workers have been reported killed in Gaza since October 2023, despite the requirement under international humanitarian law for humanitarian workers to be protected.  

The recent killing of 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, whose bodies were found buried in a mass grave, triggered global outrage, but many violations and attacks go unreported. 

Despite hopes that the eight-week pause in hostilities would become a turning point, the violence against civilians and aid workers has only worsened. Since Israeli forces resumed bombardments, at least 14 organizations reported Israeli fire directly or indirectly hitting their staff or aid facilities.  

Every day, aid workers - the majority of whom are Palestinian - are targeted, detained, obstructed, or killed. Just as every day, rules meant to protect civilians in war are ignored with impunity.  When our staff, partners, convoys, offices, and warehouses are shelled, the message is loud and clear: Even lifesaving aid is no longer protected. This is unacceptable. 

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have proposed a new authorization mechanism for the delivery of aid in Gaza that the UN Secretary-General has described as “limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.” This mechanism would set a dangerous new global precedent and eliminate any remaining space to deliver aid independent of military and political motivations. Based on vague criteria, the New NGO visa and registration rules will censor humanitarian reporting and prevent us from fulfilling our mandate. 

We call on all parties to guarantee the safety of our staff and to allow the safe, unfettered access of aid into and across Gaza through all entry points, and for world leaders to oppose further restrictions. 

We call for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and shelters, as well as the immediate restoration of essential services such as water, electricity, and sanitation, all of which are required under international law. 

We call for the release of the hostages. 

We call for the release of all Palestinians arbitrarily detained. 

We call, yet again, resoundingly, for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. 

Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool. Saving lives should not be controversial. Laws of war developed over centuries to govern conduct and protect civilians should not now be discarded.

Let us do our jobs.  

Undersigned

INGER ASHING, CEO, Save the Children International 

ABITABH BEHAR, Executive Director, Oxfam International 

SEAN CARROLL, President and CEO, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) 

STEVE CUTTS, interim Chief Executive Officer, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)  

NICOLAS DOTTA, CEO, Médecins du Monde Spain

JAN EGELAND, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) 

REENA GHELANI, CEO, Plan International

MANUEL PATROUILLARD, Managing Director, Humanity & Inclusion - Handicap International  

MORGANE ROUSSEAU, CEO, Médecins du Monde Switzerland

REINTJE VAN HAERINGEN, Chair - Executive Committee, CARE International 

JOEL WEILER, CEO, Médecins du Monde France

ROB WILLIAMS, CEO, War Child Alliance