Aid Access in the Coming Days
In the coming days, approximately twenty trucks carrying desperately needed aid could be permitted to access Gaza, providing some relief to its 2.2 million inhabitants.
Impact of Disrupted Services
The provision of food and medication was disrupted, and electricity and water supplies were severed by Israel in the area following an assault carried out by Hamas militants on October 7th.
The US and Egypt have agreed to allow certain supplies over the Rafah crossing.
Insufficient Aid and Humanitarian Concerns
However, humanitarian organizations caution that it will be insufficient.
“At least one hundred trucks of humanitarian aid are required to support the millions of civilians residing in Gaza, according to the United Nations,” Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council said.
Abeer Etefa of the World Food Programme stated that the situation in the region was “becoming extremely difficult.”
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Gaza’s Dire Situation
“Water and food supplies are becoming scarce.” “A considerable number of the bakeries have ceased operations.”
The commissioner-general of the United Nations relief agency UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, mentioned that approximately 500 trucks per day had been entering Gaza before the outbreak of conflict. Approximately 1.2 million inhabitants of the territory were dependent on UNRWA food aid before October 7th.
“Poverty in the Gaza Strip is extremely, extremely high.” “The situation was already dire before the war; it is now becoming tragic,” said Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the United Nations organization in Amman.
International Agreements and Unknown Delivery Timeline
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and US President Joe Biden agreed to offer limited Rafah help on Wednesday.
Wednesday marked the confirmation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would not obstruct the delivery of provisions from Egypt to the civilian population in southern Gaza.
However, his government only allowed food, water, and medical supplies, not fuel or other necessities.
According to a United Nations report on Gaza, fuel is an essential resource that is impeding the operation of desalination facilities and water pumps, thereby contributing to the water crisis.
Mr. Lazzarini stated that greatly increased trucking capacity would be required to transport water if petroleum could not be delivered.
The humanitarian agreement provides millions within Gaza with a ray of optimism. Prior to these negotiations, the means by which aid would be delivered to civilians remained uncertain.
Israel has said it will not allow help through until Hamas releases its hostages. Aid has not yet crossed the Rafah border into Gaza.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that this was due to the fact that the crossing had been the target of four aerial bombardments, and no authorization had been granted for the secure passage of lorries and trucks into Gaza.
“I would hope there would be a determination as to why the crossing is being bombarded and by whom it’s being bombarded,” he commented.
The precise timeframe for the delivery of assistance to those in need is still unknown. Truck access to the Rafah crossing is contingent upon the completion of necessary road maintenance.
US President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that the first vehicles might begin to arrive in Gaza on Friday.
However, Egyptian Food Bank representative Mohsen Sarhan cautioned that both time and resources were running out. Twelve lorries, he said, were prepared to transport aid and were awaiting safe passage across the frontier.
“Given that we know that people over there have run out of water, we are extremely enraged.” In fact, they are out of corpse bags. All resources have been depleted.
