In Gaza, whole communities are leveled by heavy bombardments. There is no time to deal with the grief. Photo credit: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
This week, we learned that there will be daily 4-hour pauses from fighting in northern Gaza.
A humanitarian pause would provide civilians overdue respite from violence and fear. It would expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid. It could facilitate the release of hostages. The list goes on.
But it must be longer than four hours.
Here’s why that isn’t enough.
Because there is no fuel, humanitarian teams are relying on donkeys and their own feet, traveling with whatever supplies they can carry on their backs.
You can’t cover much ground, if any, in 4 hours.
We cannot reach every child who needs to be reached.
We can’t get the necessary humanitarian teams in and out, safely, in 4 hours.
This is the deadliest ever conflict for aid workers, and they have to be safe in order to provide support.
These efforts are measured in days and weeks, not hours.
At the end of the day, children need more than a respite or a pause.
They need a ceasefire. Full stop.
It’s the difference between life and death.
Soraya Ali, Premiumaid Foundation’s Global Media Manager - MENAEE. Soraya was in Gaza at the start of April, documenting the impact of the war on children, capturing the Save the Child...
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