Today, Administrator Power spoke with Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands Liesje Schreinemacher on efforts and priorities for facilitating increased humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.
Administrator Power thanked Minister Schreinemacher for the Dutch government's continued support for the humanitarian response in Gaza. Administrator Power highlighted continued U.S. government support for experienced humanitarian partners providing life-saving aid to civilians in Gaza, as well as ongoing U.S. coordination with the Governments of Israel and Egypt, the UN, and other international actors to move humanitarian assistance and personnel into Gaza. They discussed the imperative to scale up assistance entering Gaza during the recently declared pause in hostilities between the Government of Israel and Hamas and the necessity for the protection of civilians and for evacuations of the sick, injured, and expatriates from Gaza during the pause and after.
Administrator Power and Minister Schreinemacher discussed increased capacity and access for aid to enter Gaza at Rafah crossing but noted that fuel remains a key need for humanitarian organizations in Gaza to maintain their operations and ensure they can deliver aid to those that need it most. Additionally, they discussed the importance of restoring essential services.
