After the ceasefire, what would it take to rebuild Gaza?

CGTN Europe

GTN Europe spoke to Kristen Phelps, Country Director of World Vision Jerusalem West Bank Gaza

Transcript

00:00Kristen Phelps is the country director of World Vision in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza.

00:05She joins us now.

00:06Thanks so much for your time.

00:09How quickly could you mobilize for this flood of humanitarian aid that is needed?

00:17Well, we certainly welcome the ceasefire that's taking place in Gaza and it provides that

00:22glimmer of hope that we might finally be able to move towards an end of the brutality that's

00:26claimed the lives of tens and thousands of children and families across the region.

00:30And we're hoping and praying that it's going to hold and lead to an end of these hostilities

00:35in the West, both the West Bank and Gaza that will allow for unimpeded access of humanitarian

00:41organizations to all affected communities.

00:43All right.

00:44So what green light exactly are you waiting for?

00:47Will it be the hoped for announcement of a ceasefire on Sunday?

00:53Will that open the floodgates for the aid to come in?

00:57I think there's a lot of anticipation by the humanitarian community.

01:02I think that is, of course, a necessary step to be able to access humanitarian assistance

01:08to the area.

01:09I think one of the things that's notable is that there is quite a lot riding on this agreement

01:15in terms of access of humanitarian aid, but humanitarian actors were largely not part

01:20of the negotiation process.

01:21And so it will be very important that both humanitarian organizations as well as decision

01:27makers work together to ensure that we are able to meet those set targets for this heavily

01:34needed humanitarian aid, much of which has been waiting for months just outside of borders

01:38to be able to enter.

01:39So the aid is there, it's waiting.

01:42Do you as yet have details of how it can be mobilized, which areas of entry you might

01:47be able to access?

01:48Or is that still unclear?

01:51I think it's still unclear.

01:52We do welcome the announcement, of course, that it looks like as part of the ceasefire

01:56agreement, it does look that we'll start to see new border areas opening up.

02:01However, it has been largely restricted over the last 15 months that we've been experiencing

02:05this crisis.

02:06And so we do wait with anticipation to see how decision makers will be able to help facilitate

02:13that access of humanitarian assistance.

02:17For how long, realistically, do you think aid agencies are going to have to help Gaza?

02:23I think given the level of destruction that we've seen, we're really looking at many,

02:31many years.

02:32The situation across the region remains very difficult and a ceasefire is not going to

02:36change this bleak reality.

02:38We see a million children in Gaza experiencing acute hunger, half of them in near famine

02:44like conditions, if not experiencing famine outright.

02:48And the situation in the West Bank is also great.

02:50Levels of violence are absolutely unprecedented and we've seen movement restrictions preventing

02:55people from going to work, cultivating their fields.

02:5890% of families have seen their income reduced, which has sent more than 75% of the population

03:04into poverty.

03:05So what we're looking at is a sustained need of support to help these families rebuild

03:12their lives and rebuild hope in their future.

03:14And the ceasefire is a necessary first step down that long road.

03:17Thank you so much for chatting to us, Kristen Phelps, Country Director of World Vision in

03:21Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza.

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