CRS says many Gazans are skeptical that ceasefire will last

(Vatican Radio)  The war in Gaza left more than 2200 people dead, caused widespread destruction in the territory and left nearly half a million of its population internally displaced. But will the ceasefire hold?  

Matthew McGarry is the country representative for Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem  for Catholic Relief Services or CRS.  Speaking to Susy Hodges from Gaza City, he told her that many local people are skeptical as to whether the cease-fire will last and says there’s an urgent need to address key underlying issues like the blockade on the territory.   

Listen to the full interview with Matthew McGarry of Catholic Relief Services: 

Describing the present humanitarian situation as “dire” and “potentially catastrophic, McGarry reported that many of the local people there in Gaza are not optimistic about a long-term peace.   “We can only hope that it (the fighting) has come to an end,  because this is actually the 12th ceasefire....... and there remains quite a bit of skepticism and a pretty widespread feeling that a simple return to the status quo….. (that existed before the fighting)  is not really an acceptable solution.” In particular, he said there is an urgent need to  address core issues like the restrictions on movement and access for the people of Gaza in order to give the territory a viable future.     

McGarry goes on to pay tribute to the “tremendous resilience and ingenuity”  of the people in Gaza but said even for them, the last 2 months of conflict have been “deeply traumatic” with many neighbourhoods literally “pulverized” by the Israeli bombing and shelling.  Turning to their humanitarian operations, he described  how  CRS is involved in distributing emergency hygiene and kitchen kits to the Gazan population and said the major “incredibly urgent” issue is ensuring the population has access to clean drinking water because Gaza’s aquifer is contaminated and not fit to drink.