News & Media

Closing Time report: NGOs and unions unite behind call for urgent phaseout of fossil fuel production in Aotearoa

December 5, 2023

While the Government plans new oil and gas exploration, Oxfam Aotearoa has published a new report saying it’s time to close the industry down for good.

Released on COP28’s Just Transition Day, ‘Closing Time’ shows how fossil fuel expansion would put New Zealand out of step with climate science and at risk of embarrassment amongst our diplomatic allies. But, the report says, there’s another option – a just transition and a full, fast, fair and funded phaseout of fossil fuels.

The report’s endorsers include the Council of Trade Unions, Greenpeace, WWF-New Zealand, ActionStation, 350 Aotearoa, Generation Zero, Parents for Climate Aotearoa, OraTaiao, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, the PSA, Common Grace Aotearoa, Protect Our Winters, ECO, Environment Hubs Aotearoa, Climate Action Network Australia, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, and Oxfam in the Pacific.

Report author and Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry says:

“Our report shows that right now in Aotearoa, our oil and gas production is already declining at the rate we need to do an average share of the global phaseout needed for 1.5 degrees. To do our fair share we need to move faster, closing existing fields early. Keeping the course for 1.5 degrees is critical for our Pacific family who are feeling the impacts of climate change first and worst.

“New Zealand has a unique opportunity to show global leadership here. Unlike many countries that still rely heavily on fossil fuels, we export most of the fossil fuels we produce – and with a clear just transition plan and investment, most of the rest could be quickly replaced with renewables. We absolutely can and should have a full, fast, fair and funded transition away from fossil fuel production in Aotearoa.

“The Government’s plans to overturn our ban on offshore exploration would be a costly mistake that would harm New Zealand’s international reputation and put our economy on the wrong track – with disastrous outcomes for our communities, our environment, and our climate. They also make us look hypocritical.

“Less than a month ago, New Zealand signed on to a declaration at the Pacific Islands Forum that said we were “committed to the transition away from coal, oil and gas in our energy systems”, and agreed we’d “aspire to a Just and Equitable Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.”

“So, it’s worrying to see the Government getting ready to roll the welcome mat back out to the fossil fuel industry, with promises of a new oil and gas boom – not to mention digging ourselves into a hole with the suggestion of new coal mining.

“Instead, our Government could be playing an active role in scaling up renewables and planning a just transition.

“Ultimately, global fossil fuel phaseout needs to be just that, global. We all have to do our bit, and the science tells us there’s no room for any country to go looking for new fossil fuels to exploit. While we might be a small country, we can have a disproportionate influence – we need to use that influence to stand strong with our Pacific family, not to keep serving polluting punters when it’s past closing time.”

The new report also reveals:

· Globally, the oil and gas in currently active fields would take us past 1.5 degrees of global warming. 58% of the fossil fuels in currently developed fields and mines must stay in the ground to keep within 1.5 degrees.

· New Zealand’s fossil fuel exports are small but cause disproportionate harm. Coal and oil combined made up only 1% of New Zealand’s exports in 2022 but produced emissions equivalent to more than 9% of the rest of our economy.

· Delaying the transition will only add to the problem of stranded assets and increase costs, including disruption to workers and communities.

· Getting our electricity grid off fossil gas must be a top priority for Government, as it’s the only remaining connection between fossil fuel production and energy security in Aotearoa (with all oil and most coal being exported).

Comments from endorsing organisations:

Alva Feldmeier, Executive Director of 350 Aotearoa

“Oxfam’s report comes at a critical time to remind the incoming Government of the need for a Just Transition away from fossil fuels and the importance of keeping to the 100% renewable electricity target set by the previous government. The report highlights how important the government’s role is in ensuring that the just transition is serving workers, the communities impacted by the extractive industries as well as the climate and wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

“Political election promises and populist politics cannot be used to jeopardise the future of the Pacific Islands and generations to come. The climate movement will fight tooth and nail to keep the ban on new offshore oil and gas permits in place and demand further action from the Govt to usher in the era of community-led Renewable Energy.”

India Logan-Riley, Climate Justice Organiser at ActionStation

“This report draws attention to the colonisation of Indigenous peoples, the commodification of Indigenous lands, and the carbonisation of our atmosphere. It sketches out the relationship where these injustices, the exploitation of workers, and the destruction of nature, are dispossessing a future for the generations that come. It aptly names this the fossil economy.

“And importantly, the report offers much-needed details and stepping stones in a just transition for everyone in the fullness of Te Tiriti.”

Glen Klatovsky, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Action Network Australia

“In Australia we have seen the devastation of the fossil fuel industry. Our nation is experiencing catastrophic climate impacts while contributing massively to the cause. All nations like ours must stop fuelling the fire. No more coal, no more gas, no more oil.”

Tim Jones, Coal Action Network Aotearoa

“An urgent just transition from coal, oil and gas use is essential. We must not go backwards, and this report provides a clear, evidence-based path that Aotearoa can follow.”

Richard Wagstaff, Secretary of the Council of Trade Unions

“Delivering a just transition for New Zealand, away from fossil fuels while maintaining great jobs across Aotearoa, will also help shift us towards a more productive, sustainable, and inclusive economy and society. New Zealand has a great image around the world for being a clean and green nation, one that cares for its environment and its future. It’s time to make that rhetoric a reality.”

Cath Wallace, Vice Chair of ECO

“ECO welcome the analysis in this report that the best way forward from our climate crisis and dependence on fossil fuels is to establish an economic system that is more considerate of environmental consequences and harms to people. We agree that the science is clear that an early end to fossil fuels extraction and use is essential.

“The report illuminates the structural problems Aotearoa New Zealand faces with the economic model and the injustices that we have inherited. Allowing further oil and gas exploration and exploitation will not only cost us dearly but lead to a huge burden of stranded assets, liability for the government and taxpayers for unabated emissions, and ongoing harm from climate destabilisation. The government must govern for all and resist the fossil fuel vested interests.

“Encouragingly, this report suggests a more environmentally focused policy within the foundations of the country and Te Tiriti will save environmental harms, reduce greenhouse emissions and the costs they incur, and provide greater justice.

“Importantly, the government needs to recognise that any fossil fuels future will mean New Zealand will have to pay dearly for emissions we allow and do not abate with his financial, social and biodiversity costs.”

Georgina Morrison, Executive Officer of Environment Hubs Aotearoa:

“Aotearoa New Zealand will be further harming its people and environment if we don’t urgently switch to more sustainable energy sources. Phasing fossil fuels out is paramount to meet our emissions targets and to protect our people and environment from even worse climate-related events”.

OraTaiao – New Zealand Climate and Health Council

“OraTaiao strongly supports a rapid phaseout in fossil fuel production in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally. The health benefits that will accrue from a well-designed switch away from fossil fuel use, such as improved air quality and reduced physical inactivity, will be additional to the harm avoided by limiting global heating to 1.5deg C. Known global fossil fuel reserves are in excess of what we can use if we are to keep to our climate obligations and there is absolutely and categorically no place for reopening offshore fossil fuel exploration in Aotearoa New Zealand’s waters. A sustainable, healthy and equitable future does not have fossil fuels as a part of it.”

Alicia Hall, Founder and National Co-Coordinator of Parents for Climate Aotearoa

“Parents for Climate Aotearoa strongly endorse ‘Closing Time’. Around the world and here in Aotearoa, countless whānau are struggling in a cost of living crisis and are deeply concerned about climate change. Some of these families are also dependent on employment in fossil fuel industries. Phasing out fossil fuels is crucial to ensuring our tamariki thrive in a safe and healthy climate – and a Just Transition will ensure we can make this change in a way that looks after these families and isn’t detrimental to their wellbeing.”

Marian Krogh, Lead Advocate at Protect Our Winters:

“The burning of fossil fuels right now is resulting in shorter winters, causing glaciers in Aotearoa and worldwide to melt, and for mountain town economies to struggle. Fossil fuel exploration is ruining our climate, winters, glaciers, and mountain towns for future generations. How can we achieve our climate reductions agreed in the Paris accord if we keep mining fossil fuels? We can’t. We already have plenty of fossil fuel reserves that can’t be burned. Aotearoa’s outdoor community says no to further exploration for oil, gas, and coal. A full, fast, fair, and funded phase out of fossil fuels is needed, alongside a just transition to renewable energy.”

Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, Chief Executive Officer of WWF-New Zealand

“The Government owes it to all New Zealanders – and our neighbours in the Pacific who are on the frontline of the impacts of climate change – to consign fossil fuels to history and accelerate a just transition to renewable energy.

“Overturning New Zealand’s ban on new offshore oil and gas will not only hamper New Zealand in our efforts to meet our climate commitments, but it will pose significant risk to our relationships in the Pacific, our status as an export nation, and to our international credibility more broadly.”

Notes:

Click here to read the full report: https://www.oxfam.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Closing-Time-Report-Oxfam-Aotearoa.pdf

Oxfam reaction: NZ wins dubious honour of Fossil of the Day award at COP28

December 4, 2023

Climate Action Network International has awarded the New Zealand Government a First Place “Fossil of the Day” award at COP28 for its climate U-turn, overturning its world-leading ban on offshore oil and gas exploration. At the same time, the Government has said it is continuing to advocate for global fossil fuel phaseout as its official negotiating position.

Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry said:

“In the same breath as they’re calling for a global phase out of fossil fuels, our Government is rolling out the welcome mat and inviting polluting fossil fuel companies to return to Aotearoa. How can we justify doing just the opposite of what we’re calling on every other country to do?

“Pacific countries have been leading the call for a phaseout of fossil fuels – they stand to face the worst impacts of climate change, despite doing the least to cause the climate crisis. Less than a month ago, Pacific Islands Forum members including New Zealand “committed to the transition away from coal, oil and gas in our energy systems”, and agreed that they “aspire to a Just and Equitable Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.” It’s challenging to see how overturning the exploration ban would take us toward these goals.

“Global fossil fuel phaseout needs to be just that, global. We all have to do our bit, and the science tells us there’s no room for any country to go looking for new fossil fuels to exploit. It’s understandable that other countries are upset by this U-turn and are calling us hypocritical.

“And that’s not all. The reason the Government has given for wanting to reopen offshore exploration is to look for new gas, which it claims is necessary for us to phase out our use and import of ‘dirtier’ coal. But in reality, our coal imports are at a long-term low, new research shows gas could be just as dirty as coal, and the Government also has plans to expand our coal industry.

“What we want to see is our Government committed to expanding renewables, not trying to sell us on false, dirty solutions. But while 118 countries, including our allies Australia, the US, UK and Canada, signed onto a pledge this weekend to triple renewables, New Zealand, disappointingly, wasn’t one of them.

“The 2018 ban on offshore exploration was hard won by Māori-led activism and positioned New Zealand as a global climate leader. We became associate members of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, a group of countries committed to bold action, in recognition of the ban. But the Government’s plans to invite polluters back to our shores, while calling on every other country to phase fossil fuels out, mean our international reputation is now in danger.

“Just a couple of days ago, our new Climate Minister Simon Watts told media that he didn’t expect any scrutiny at COP28 for the Government’s plans to reopen oil and gas exploration. Hopefully, this Fossil award will serve as the wake up call he needs to see that other countries do care what we do – and they want to see us truly doing our bit.”

ENDS

Richest 1% emit as much planet-heating pollution as two-thirds of humanity

November 20, 2023

The richest 1% of New Zealanders cause double the consumption emissions of all 2 million people who live in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati, combined.

The richest 1 percent of the world’s population produced as much carbon pollution in 2019 as the five billion people who made up the poorest two-thirds of humanity, reveals a new Oxfam report today. This report comes ahead of the UN climate summit in Dubai, amid growing fears that the 1.5°C target for curtailing rising temperatures appears increasingly unachievable.

“This report confirms the shocking truth, it is the super rich who are harming the climate with their extravagant lifestyles and irresponsible investments in dirty industries, not the low-income communities in Aotearoa and the Pacific who are facing the worst of the climate crisis.” said Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry.

Data from Oxfam’s global research shows that for Aotearoa New Zealand:

• The richest 1% of New Zealanders, 48,000 people, cause double the consumption emissions of all 2 million people who live in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati, combined.

• A single New Zealander in the richest 1% causes as much climate damage as 149 people from Kiribati.

• The richest 1% of New Zealanders cause more consumption emissions than 30% of the population with the lowest incomes, combined. This 30% are already consuming less than the global limit to keep global heating below 1.5 degrees.

“The injustice of the climate crisis is driven by economic injustice and inequality, where the rich take far more than their fair share of the world’s resources. We know that New Zealand is consuming too much fossil fuel and other resources compared to our neighbours in the Pacific, but this report shows it’s the richest New Zealanders who are causing the problem, not low-income communities in Aotearoa,” said Henry.

“The rich need to reduce their impact. The rest of us need collective solutions that improve our lives while reducing our emissions. Taxing the rich can help with both.”

“Climate Equality: A Planet for the 99%” is based on research with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and assesses the consumption emissions of different income groups in 2019, the most recent year for which data are available. The report shows the stark gap between the carbon footprints of the super-rich —whose carbon-hungry lifestyles and investments in polluting industries like fossil fuels are driving global warming— and the bulk of people across the world.

• The richest 1 percent (77 million people) were responsible for 16 percent of global consumption emissions in 2019 —more than all car and road transport emissions. The richest 10 percent accounted for half (50 percent) of emissions.

• It would take about 1,500 years for someone in the bottom 99 percent to produce as much carbon as the richest billionaires do in a year.

• Every year, the emissions of the richest 1 percent cancel out the carbon savings coming from nearly one million wind turbines.

• Since the 1990s, the richest 1 percent have used up twice as much of the carbon we have left to burn without increasing global temperatures above the limit of 1.5°C than the poorest half of humanity.

• The carbon emissions of richest 1 percent are set to be 22 times greater than the level compatible with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement in 2030.

Climate breakdown and inequality are locked in a vicious cycle —Oxfam has seen first-hand how people living in poverty, women and girls, Indigenous communities and Global South countries are feeling the unequal brunt of climate impacts, which in turn increase the divide. The report finds that seven times more people die from floods in more unequal countries. Climate change is already worsening inequality both between and within countries.

Governments can tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change by targeting the excessive emissions of the super-rich, and investing in public services and meeting climate goals. Oxfam calculates that a 60 percent tax on the incomes of the richest 1 percent would cut emissions by more than the total emissions of the UK and raise $6.4 trillion a year to pay for the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

Oxfam is calling on governments to:

• Dramatically reduce inequality. Oxfam calculates that it would be possible, through a global redistribution of incomes, to provide everyone living in poverty with a minimum daily income of $25 while still reducing global emissions by 10 percent (roughly the equivalent of the total emissions of the European Union).

• Get off fossil fuels quickly and fairly. Rich countries are disproportionately responsible for global warming and must end oil and gas production correspondingly faster. New taxes on corporations and billionaires could help pay for the transition to renewable energy.

• Prioritize human and planetary well-being over endless profit, extraction and consumption. Stop using GDP growth as the measure of human progress.

Notes to editors:

Download “Climate Equality: A Planet for the 99%”, the Oceania regional briefing, and the methodology note. The Stockholm Environment Institute’s Emissions Inequality Dashboard is also available for consultation.

Oxfam has launched a global petition to Make Rich Polluters Pay.

According to Our World in Data, road transport accounts for 15 percent of total CO2 emissions.

According to SEI’s research, a person in the bottom 99 percent emits on average 4.1 tons of carbon a year. Richard Wilk and Beatriz Barros’ study of 20 of the world’s billionaires found that they emitted on average 8,194 tons CO2 equivalent per year. This includes all greenhouse gases, so when converted to CO2, this is approximately 5,959 tons CO2. 5,959 divided by 4.1 is 1,453.

Oxfam’s research has shown that the investments of just 125 billionaires emit 393 million tonnes of CO2e each year —the equivalent of France— at an individual annual average that is a million times higher than someone in the bottom 90 percent of humanity.

Oxfam water engineers are having to drill deeper, more expensive and harder-to-maintain water boreholes used by some of the poorest communities around the world, more often now only to find dry, depleted or polluted reservoirs. One in five water boreholes Oxfam digs now is dry or unfit for humans to drink.

According to the UN, more than 91 percent of deaths caused by climate- and weather-related disasters over the past 50 years occurred in the Global South. Evidence shows that inequalities between rich and Global South countries are already 25 percent larger than they would be in a world without global warming.

Contact information:

Ben Ryder, Media and Communications Coordinator 022 310 2765 / ben.ryder@oxfam.org.nz

Oxfam reaction to Pacific Islands Forum: New Zealand and Australia must follow PIF aspiration with action

November 16, 2023

Oxfam welcomes the Pacific Island Forum’s acknowledgement that the response to the climate crisis
must involve a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, but notes this acknowledgement
falls short of Pacific civil society demands for the statement to go further and call for an end to all
production of fossil fuels in our region.

Oxfam in the Pacific’s Executive Director, Eunice Wotene said: “We joined Pacific civil society in
calling on leaders to commit to a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels. Instead, we saw
Pacific leaders pay mere lip service to this urgent call. The science is clear, the only viable way
forward is an unwavering commitment to giving up fossil fuels entirely, a move that will safeguard our
land, our ocean and our resources – as our ancestors have done for generations before us.

“It is disheartening to witness the reluctance of some Forum leaders in embracing this imperative and
to witness the pleas of Pacific Islanders undermined by the interests of powerful nations with outsized
contributions to the climate crisis. Pacific Islanders do not want symbolic gestures or aspirational
language – we need concrete commitments and courageous leadership. Anything less is an affront to
Pacific communities and a betrayal of our urgent call for climate action.”

“In the final communique at the conclusion of the Forum, we can see the results of the New Zealand
and Australian governments pressuring other Pacific countries to dilute their commitment to ending
fossil fuels down to just an aspirational statement”, says Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick
Henry.

“We’ve been concerned to hear that while Pacific leaders pushed hard for the Forum to
spearhead the global phaseout of oil, coal and gas, New Zealand and Australia made sure their dirty
fossil fuel extraction and production was excluded from the final text.

“While all PIF governments agreed at the Forum to aspire to a just and equitable transition away from
fossil fuels, our incoming government faced justified scrutiny over its totally inconsistent plans to
reopen offshore exploration for new oil and fossil gas. To be meaningful, their aspiration has to be
followed with action – something we must hold them to.

“We congratulate Pacific leaders for securing some key practical commitments that back up the PIF’s
aspiration with substance. We welcome the commitment from all Pacific leaders to phase out fossil
fuels in our energy systems in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees, along with
commitments to increase climate finance and appoint an Energy Commissioner for a Just Transition
to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.

“Across the Pacific, our people deserve and need a fast and just transition, where a managed decline
of fossil fuel production is matched with the creation of good jobs in renewable energy, clean
industries and social services. It would be absurd to go looking for new fossil fuels in a climate crisis,
when we know that just the oil and gas in currently active fields would take us past 1.5 degrees.”

“Pacific civil society have called on the New Zealand and Australian Governments to stand with them,
not with the fossil fuel industry. We want our political leaders to stand united with the rest of the Pacific
and take a bold, clear call for a global end to fossil fuel production all the way to COP28 in Dubai.”
said Henry.

“The reluctance to commit to a timetable for a rapid phase out of fossil fuels means that leaders are
still not serious about staying within 1.5 degrees of warming, with the lives and cultures of so many
people across the Pacific threatened as a result,” said Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Lyn Morgain.

/ENDS

For interviews, contact Ben Ryder on 022 310 2765 / ben.ryder@oxfam.org.nz

Oxfam joins calls for New Zealand to support fossil fuel free Pacific

November 7, 2023

Oxfam is backing calls from Pacific leaders for the New Zealand and Australian governments to endorse the Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, a top agenda item at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.

“Fossil fuels are on their way out globally – the fight now is between hope for the future and a short-term gamble on continuing our destructive past for a bit longer”, says Oxfam Aotearoa Climate Justice Lead Nick Henry.

“Pacific Ministers from six nations showed historic leadership in March by calling for an end to fossil fuels, starting right here in our region. These leaders have come out on the side of hope.”

Henry says that we need our new Government to now do the same, and endorse the Port Vila Call in a Leaders Declaration at the Pacific Islands Forum:

“Christopher Luxon has said that you can’t be a climate denier or a climate minimalist in 2023. He has promised his Government will meet all of New Zealand’s climate commitments. As his Government’s debut on the global stage, this is a chance for him to put these words into action and show that he will be a climate leader.

“But while Pacific Island leaders have been calling for a transition from fossil fuels, Australia has approved four new coal mines. And on the campaign trail, the leaders of our own incoming Government talked about reopening offshore oil and gas exploration.

“In Aotearoa and across the Pacific our people deserve and need a fast and just transition, where a managed decline of fossil fuel production is matched with the creation of good jobs in renewable energy, clean industries and social services.

“Pacific communities have been bearing the brunt of climate impacts for years already, and we’re now seeing devastating impacts ourselves in Aotearoa. Around the world, we are calling for rich countries to stop polluting, and start paying. In addition to a managed decline, New Zealand must continue to support communities facing climate impacts in the Pacific and globally to adapt, transition and bear the costs of unavoidable loss and damage from climate change,” Henry said.

“The Port Vila Call says Pacific leaders ‘have the power and responsibility to lead, and we will’. Our question for Christopher Luxon is whether he’ll be among them.”

Oxfam in the Pacific Executive Director Eunice Wotene agreed, saying New Zealand could do more to support the Pacific in a Just Transition:

“As the Pacific experiences of climate-induced loss and damage become even more acute, we know that now more than ever we need Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia to halt the expansion of their fossil fuel industries, to stop subsidising those industries and to support safer and more sustainable alternatives.

“Already, a number of our Pacific leaders have endorsed the Port Vila call for a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels. What we need now is for Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia to not undermine that call, but to join – in the spirit of true Pacific partnership, their fellow regional leaders in committing to a climate-just future for all.”

/ENDS

Notes for editors

• In March, Ministers from six Pacific states issued the call for a global, just and equitable phase out of coal, oil and gas, asking fellow Pacific leaders to show their support in a Leaders Declaration at the Pacific Island Forum.

• The call demands an end to the development and expansion of fossil fuel extracting industries, including halting all new licensing rounds for oil and gas, and setting a Paris-aligned end date for production.

• The call also asks countries to join the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. New Zealand is currently an associate member of BOGA in recognition of the 2018 ban on offshore oil and gas exploration.

• The full text of the Port Vila Call is here: https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific

Contact: For further information or to arrange interviews, contact Ben Ryder +64 22 310 2765 / ben.ryder@oxfam.org.nz

Half a million civilians caught in northern Gaza ‘siege within a siege’

November 6, 2023

Oxfam is gravely concerned for the lives of around 500,000 Palestinians, alongside any of the more than 200 Israeli and other national hostages, currently trapped in a “siege within a siege” in northern Gaza.

Israeli forces have imposed a near-complete stranglehold on Gaza City and the northern region, effectively cutting the enclave in half from the border wall to the sea. A member of Oxfam’s staff shared a harrowing account from her family yesterday:

“Escaped death twice today. (We feel) like rats in a cage. Gaza City is closed off, and we hear that people travelling to find shelter in the south were targeted in an airstrike and killed. It sounds like they’re going to bomb the hell out of the area. Shifa, is a nightmarish hell hole, with sewage overflowing. Flies are like bodybuilders, enormous, they’re so big and swarm everywhere, impervious to our attempts to swat them. The “zanana” (the sound of military drones) is loud and never leaves the sky.”

Oxfam humanitarian worker Alhasan Swairjo, who managed to contact colleagues from where he is sheltering with his family in north Gaza yesterday, recorded a voice-note that said:

“We are sharing resources with ten other families. The markets almost empty. There’s no fresh food across all the city. We depend on canned food. The bread markets have no electricity and only a limited amount of fuel – one day, two days, five days – we don’t know. We are making bread at home but don’t know in next few days if we will have enough cooking gas. Our children are suffering, they don’t understand why we moved, why Israel is shooting us. We cannot give a good explanation why all this is happening. Now we’re fighting to survive, our children are fighting to survive.”

Israel’s decision to deprive civilians in Gaza of items essential to their survival, such as food, water, fuel, medicines, and other aid, amounts to collective punishment and a violation of international humanitarian law. Its evacuation order of 13 October does not diminish the protected status of civilians who are unable or unwilling to leave and itself is likely inconsistent with Israel’s legal obligations given the additional dangers it created.

Communications are so patchy leaving no means for proper, independent accountability. Civilians should never be the target of attacks and, if they choose to remain in their homes, they have the right to do so in safety. Oxfam believes that there is the risk of further atrocious cost to civilian life in northern Gaza.

Oxfam is funding and in intermittent contact with a number of partner organisations still operating in southern Gaza, getting some locally-sourced aid to families. However humanitarian support is virtually impossible in the north.

The more than two million people now squeezed into the southern part of Gaza are also facing an unsafe, chaotic and uncertain situation, with insufficient water, food, medicines and fuel.

The one crossing point at Rafah to and from Egypt is open to a virtual trickle of aid, yesterday increased to 102 trucks after much diplomatic wrangling, but is nowhere near enough to meet the massive and ever-growing needs of people. The wheat flour supply in Gaza is now so low that it could run out within a week.

Oxfam has condemned Hamas for its 7 October attack and in killing 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians and the taking of over 200 hostages – all of which breached international humanitarian law; all hostages held by Hamas and armed groups should be released immediately and without conditions.

Oxfam condemns Israel for its evacuation of northern Gaza – which amounts to forcible transfer – and its military airstrikes and ground war that have claimed more than 9,000 Palestinian lives and injured countless more, 6,086 of them women and children as of 2 November. The military crisis between Israel and Hamas and subsequent siege has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war, a crime under international humanitarian law, and which is not being mitigated by the resumption of a small amount of aid via Rafah.

Oxfam is calling for an immediate cease fire, granting of humanitarian access and aid, and for the international community to push for an end to Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory, including lifting of the Gaza blockade.

Notes to editors

• Oxfam has available staff and partners voice testimonies, photos and B-roll at HERE, including the voice note quoted in the release from Oxfam humanitarian worker, Alhasan.
• Even before last weekend, the UN and humanitarian partners estimated that 2.1 million Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) – including 80 percent of the population in Gaza – depended on humanitarian assistance.  
• Oxfam has been working in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel since the 1950s and established a country office in the 1980s. We work with the most vulnerable communities in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Area C, the 61 percent of the West Bank where the government of Israel maintains full military and civil control.  
• In Gaza, Oxfam works with partner organizations to help Palestinian women, men, and youth to improve their livelihoods and increase economic opportunities, combat gender-based violence and inequality and ensure access to basic needs and fundamental rights through our humanitarian work.  

Contact: Ben Ryder +64 22 310 2765 / ben.ryder@oxfam.org.nz