The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip is dramatic and continues to fluctuate greatly. The Foreign Ministry in Bern comes to this assessment.
Jun 9, 2026, 3:03 amJun 9, 2026, 3:03 am
Switzerland expressed its concern about this in a joint statement with 19 countries. Access to basic services remains severely restricted, it said on the homepage of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) on Monday evening.
The humanitarian situation in the largely destroyed Gaza Strip remains precarious.Image: keystone
For example, according to the United Nations, the public health system is practically in collapse: of the 36 hospitals, none is fully functional, and only half are still considered partially functional.
In addition, around 1.7 million people have been displaced, according to the FDFA. Due to inadequate waste disposal systems, displaced families are increasingly affected by skin infections and other diseases.
The statement calls on the Israeli authorities not to implement the new registration system for international non-governmental organizations in its current form. It also recalls Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular to immediately enable and facilitate the safe, rapid and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian population.
In addition to Switzerland, the declaration was signed by Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Iceland, Japan, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the EU Commission.
The Foreign Ministry recalls that Switzerland has provided almost 174 million francs to support the Palestinian population since November 2023, of which 150 million francs for humanitarian aid. In addition, there is a budget of around 31 million francs for the current year, of which almost 21 million francs are for humanitarian aid. (sda)