According to the United Nations, the flow of aid into Gaza almost completely dried up in the past week, at a time when humanitarian agencies said the enclave needed a sharp increase in food, medicine and other goods to cope with the crisis. famine is imminent. .
Since the war began, most aid to Gaza has gone through two border crossings at the southern tip of the territory. Israel closed one of them, Kerem Shalom, after a while Hamas rocket attack nearby killed four Israeli soldiers on May 5. The next day, the Israeli army seized and closed a second facility, in Rafah, on the Egyptian border, as part of what it called is a “limited campaign” against Hamas, bringing aid flows to Hamas. almost completely stopped.
According to Juliette Touma, communications director for the main United Nations agency assisting the Palestinians, UNRWA, six trucks carrying flour passed through the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Saturday, and on Friday some fuel also went through. through the same intersection. She said no other supplies had come through Kerem Shalom over the past week and the Rafah border crossing remained closed.
“That’s all since May 6,” Ms. Touma said in a text message. “Basically nothing.”
The agency that coordinates aid to the Palestinians, COGAT, said on Sunday that Israel was “working to facilitate the flow of aid to Rafah” through a road that runs through part of the enclave’s length. It did not provide further details.
The extremely limited aid will almost certainly worsen the cumulative food deficit that has built up over the past seven months.
Before the war began last October, about 500 aid trucks and commercial trucks delivered supplies to Gaza every day. But the number of people entering the territory through two main border crossings has dropped by about 75% since October 7, according to the United Nations. Some food has also been delivered by air, sea and more recently through the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza, but aid groups say that is not enough to make up for the shortfall. shortages at major border crossings.
At the same time, Ms. Touma said about 300,000 liters of fuel are needed every day for all humanitarian purposes, including running generators in hospitals and relief operations. Aid groups said last week that they only had a few days fuel depot left.
Ms. Touma said only 157,000 liters of fuel were brought into Gaza on Friday. COGAT gives the figure 200,000 liters. The reason for the difference is not immediately clear.
Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said: “At this desperate time, exacerbated by actions that impede access to humanitarian aid in Gaza through three border crossings, Severe fuel shortages are hindering everything.” said in a statement on Sunday.
The Israeli military said the deadly Hamas rocket attack on Kerem Shalom last Sunday was carried out from the Rafah area, south of Gaza. When the Israeli army captured the Rafah border crossing last week, it ordered residents to evacuate the east of the city. Since then, the military has expanded the evacuation order.
Mr. Türk said he “could not believe” that the latest evacuation order imposed on civilians in Rafah “could be reconciled with the binding requirements of international humanitarian law.”
In Nuseirat, central Gaza, local authorities are preparing for a potential public health crisis, the town’s mayor, Iyad Maghari, said in a statement issued by the Gaza government press office. on Sunday.
Mr. Maghari said the city only had enough fuel for 48 hours and would soon have to suspend some services left over after seven months of war.
“We call on all United Nations organizations to intervene urgently and quickly to provide the fuel needed to operate water wells, wastewater pumps and garbage collection,” Mr. Maghari said in the statement. waste”. let’s go.”
One reason the aid is being delayed is because Egypt, which collects and loads most of the aid to Gaza, is refusing to allow trucks from the Rafah crossing to drive to Kerem Shalom. according to two US officials and one Western official participating in the aid operation, as well as two Israeli officials familiar with the situation. American and Israeli officials said they believed Egypt was trying to pressure Israel to withdraw its forces from Rafah.
After missile sirens sounded again in the Kerem Shalom area on Sunday, the Israeli military said two missile launches from Rafah were intercepted by air defense forces.
Liam Stack Report contributions.
