World Vision New Zealand is calling on the government to show real and tangible support for Palestinians ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Middle East crisis.

As the October 7 anniversary looms, the humanitarian organisation is calling on the Government to urgently issue humanitarian visas and provide full resettlement assistance for Palestinians with family members in New Zealand.

In March this year, World Vision New Zealand joined more than 30 organisations urging the government to provide emergency evacuation and visas for Palestinians in Gaza to resettle in New Zealand.

World Vision New Zealand’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, Rebekah Armstrong, says six months later New Zealanders are still waiting for the Government to act.

“The crisis in the Middle East has been nothing short of devastating. The loss of lives and the suffering of children is unbearable.

“What’s truly heartbreaking is that New Zealand has the ability to offer tangible help, yet our government has done little. We urge the government to take a more proactive and compassionate stance now.”

Armstrong says Australia and Canada have demonstrated stronger leadership through their policy responses to assist Palestinians to come to their countries.

She says World Vision acknowledges the challenges for people to safely exit the region but says granting humanitarian visas is not an act of false hope.

“The New Zealand government granting humanitarian visas for Palestinians is a powerful signal of solidarity and support for those in desperate need,” she says.

World Vision is calling on the government to urgently:

• Issue humanitarian visas to Palestinians with family in New Zealand.
• Mobilise support for emergency medical evacuations through the Rafah crossing.
• Increase New Zealand’s refugee quota and work with the United Nations to resettle some of the 100,000 displaced Palestinians in Egypt.
• Provide resettlement support for refugees who have already made it to Egypt, some of whom may have family connections in New Zealand.

“There are actions the New Zealand government can and should take. A year has passed with no significant action to support children and families in Gaza that have New Zealand connections, and that is simply not good enough,” Armstrong says.

According to the Palestinian community in New Zealand, around 300 to 400 people in Gaza have family members here who could apply for a humanitarian visa if granted.

“New Zealand has a proud history of stepping up during humanitarian emergencies, and now is the time to do so again.  We provided humanitarian visas for Ukrainians when war devastated their lives, and we helped Afghans resettle when the Taliban returned to power. The plight of vulnerable Palestinians is no different.

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of October 7, Kiwis expect the government to act with the same compassion we’ve shown in past humanitarian crises,” Armstrong says.

Currently, Palestinians are living in perilous conditions, with hundreds of thousands displaced, children and families facing severe hunger, and healthcare nearly inaccessible.

“New Zealand has the chance to offer Palestinians a lifeline, and we urge the government to step up, show compassion, and be a good global citizen.”

World Vision stresses that any humanitarian visa programme must be accompanied by strong resettlement support that includes orientation, access to education, employment, and other essential services.

World Vision is currently working in the West Bank and elsewhere in the Middle East to provide support to vulnerable children and families. New Zealanders wanting to support can do so here: www.worldvision.org.nz/middle-east-crisis 

© Scoop Media