WHO urges evacuation of Al-Shifa
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00:00 For a closer look at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, I'm joined now by John Entwistle,
00:05 who is head of the delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
00:10 the IFRC.
00:11 He's in Ramallah in the West Bank.
00:13 Welcome to you.
00:15 Many Palestinians have been living under Israeli bombing now for seven weeks.
00:19 We're learning this Sunday that at least 30 premature babies at Al-Shifa Hospital are
00:24 being evacuated.
00:26 What kind of challenges face the families of those babies?
00:29 How can organisations like yourselves, humanitarian organisations, bring specific support to people
00:35 in these horrendous conditions?
00:37 Good afternoon, Nicholas, and thank you for allowing me the time.
00:42 I've just been downstairs in the operations room of the Palestine Red Crescent Society,
00:48 where they monitor and support both emergency service operations in the West Bank and Gaza.
00:55 When they can reach their colleagues in Gaza, because communications, remember, are just
01:00 so intermittent.
01:01 And this is all based on the lack of fuel to drive the generators to generate electricity
01:08 to allow the communications to work.
01:12 So it's very challenging.
01:13 So when you're trying to move people around, keep them safe, you need good communications.
01:19 This is extremely difficult.
01:21 When people are on the move, they need to be protected.
01:25 They are civilians.
01:26 They also need access to health care.
01:30 They need access to food and water.
01:32 And what we've seen and what my colleagues are telling me is that it is just simply insufficient
01:38 the amount of aid that is getting through.
01:42 Now we're going into the winter months.
01:44 You've looked there at the situation now, but over the next few years, not years, but
01:49 actually weeks, days, weeks, as we enter deep midwinter, what do you envisage in terms of
01:54 crisis management in this scenario?
01:58 It's the worst case scenario going into a winter season now in a conflict.
02:05 The fuel that is needed to keep people warm will be lacking.
02:12 Many of the homes are damaged.
02:14 I was speaking to a colleague in Gaza this morning.
02:19 Fortunately, the phone was able to work.
02:22 And in her home, all the windows had been blown out and damaged.
02:27 And with the months now becoming colder, this will be an issue.
02:31 Currently in Ramallah, it is boring with rain and that rain and that weather pattern is
02:37 going to carry on over to Gaza.
02:40 Again, with damaged homes and cold wind and rain, it makes an unbearable situation even
02:47 more unbearable.
02:49 Now the humanitarian needs are immense.
02:52 The IFRC has an emergency appeal to raise funds.
02:55 I wanted to ask how that is going.
03:00 We do have an appeal.
03:02 It's important to note too that the Palestine Red Crescent, their appeal needs support as
03:06 well.
03:07 And they are looking to raise funds to make sure that there are enough humanitarian aid
03:15 getting into Gaza.
03:18 And that not only does the aid get in, that it's able to be distributed around the Gaza
03:24 Strip.
03:25 And again, this boils down to the lack of fuel that's coming across to be able to power
03:31 the vehicles to deliver the aid, most importantly, to the north, because it's really, it's really
03:37 important to remember that there's still hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the north
03:42 of Gaza.
03:44 The team here at Palestine Red Crescent are still receiving disparate calls, pleas for
03:50 help for those stuck in the north and unable to move because of the fighting.
03:57 Thank you to you, John Entwistle.
03:59 You are the head of the delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and
04:03 Red Crescent Societies, the IFRC.
04:07 speaking to us there from Ramallah in the West Bank.