Dutch donations for Gaza spike, but aid blocked by access restrictions

Dutch charities are reporting a sharp rise in donations for Gaza relief, but aid groups say money is not the main obstacle — access is. With the enclave largely sealed off and shortages driving up costs, much of the aid cannot reach the people most in need, AD reports.

The Dutch Red Cross said it received three times as many donations in the second half of July as in the first half, almost entirely from private donors, with an average gift of 78 euros. “Some people give 10 euros, others 250. It depends on what they can or want to spare,” spokesperson Daniëlle Brouwer told AD. Oxfam Novib reported “many Dutch people donate for our humanitarian work in Palestine,” while Save the Children said a recent newsletter appeal for Gaza drew “a lot of money in no time,” according to spokesperson Helma Maas.

Aid groups say they are using the funds, but restrictions and shortages limit what can be delivered. “Our work in Gaza is very expensive because of the scarcity created by Israel. Clean drinking water costs 70 times more than in Congo,” Rikki Hendriks of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) told AD. Brouwer of the Red Cross added, “We cannot do what we most want — bring in hundreds of trucks a day with food, water, fuel, and medicine. Money is not the biggest problem, it is access.” Damaged Red Cross ambulances cannot be replaced because new ones are barred entry, and many that remain inside Gaza are idle due to fuel shortages.

Organizations are maintaining limited operations. The Red Cross buys medicine in small quantities allowed through, pays staff, and supports hospitals in Cairo and Ramallah to treat medical evacuees. Save the Children funds salaries for 200 Gaza-based staff, provides alternative schooling, and runs two health clinics. MSF employs about 1,000 people, including Palestinians and international staff, and Oxfam Novib uses donations for financial aid, psychosocial support, water system repairs, sanitation in displacement camps, and small farming projects.

Aid agencies are stockpiling supplies to be ready if border restrictions ease. Oxfam Novib says it could scale up within 72 hours to deliver food, clean water, water purification tablets, shelter, and cash to displaced families. The Red Cross is filling warehouses with materials to rebuild hospitals. “There is much more money needed,” Brouwer told AD, urging international pressure, including from the Dutch government, to open access. “When that moment comes, the need for help for the wounded and the starving will be immense.”