00:00Alexandra Asaya is head of Global Strategic Influencing and Policy at Save the Children International.
00:06Thanks for coming on the program.
00:08So look, this is a big day.
00:09All living hostages released, prisoners and detainees released.
00:12But what are displaced Palestinians returning to?
00:15What conditions are they facing?
00:18Thank you for having me.
00:19Look, everyone that we have spoken to today has said they're cautiously optimistic about the future.
00:25But what they're returning to is absolute devastation.
00:28One of my colleagues drove across Gaza today from Dirbella to Kanunis.
00:35And she told me that every single building she saw was either completely damaged or totally destroyed.
00:43Families have been living and returning to bombed out buildings.
00:49The rubble of what was their destroyed homes.
00:53I mean, it's absolute devastation.
00:55And the effort that it will take to rebuild Gaza and recover is extraordinary.
01:03We need all hands on deck at this moment.
01:07The UN says that aid to Gaza will be stepped up from Sunday.
01:11How do you see all of that working?
01:13Well, we have heard that for the first time, cooking gas was allowed into Gaza.
01:19We've heard that vegetables and meat are finally making its way through.
01:25But it's not enough.
01:26What we need is for all of the crossing points to be open and for aid to be allowed in unrestricted.
01:33Unrestricted, humanitarian organizations, the UN, everybody, the private sector needs to be given access to bring supplies.
01:42And that's still not happening yet.
01:44So what we're seeing is finally aid is stepping up.
01:47But people in Gaza need absolutely everything.
01:50We can't have to we can't be required and forced to have to choose between bringing in food or medical supplies.
01:59All of it needs to be allowed into Gaza as soon as possible.
02:04I wonder, how worried are you that the humanitarian agenda could be maybe overshadowed by negotiations about governance and security?
02:12Look, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is still catastrophic.
02:19It's going to require years, potentially generations, to rebuild Gaza.
02:25Humanitarian aid should never be something that is negotiated over.
02:31It's a legal obligation on governments to allow humanitarian aid in.
02:36So irrespective of what happens in the negotiations, we need to see humanitarian assistance flowing into Gaza at levels even higher than what we've seen before in past pauses and even before October 2023.
02:51That's what we need to focus on.
02:53That's what we are pleading with governments to ensure is is does happen.
02:58And these political negotiations need to ensure that whatever is discussed leads to a lasting and sustained ceasefire and finally return to peace in Gaza.
03:13Alexandra, say it's save the children.
03:16Thank you very much.
03:17Thank you for having me.
