Aid organizations are facing significant challenges in providing assistance to Palestinians in Gaza as Israel resumes its bombardment of the region. After a weeklong truce ended and Israel restarted its bombing campaign, only a limited number of aid trucks have managed to enter the besieged Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. This pause in aid delivery has had devastating consequences for the civilian population.
The Palestine Red Crescent teams have confirmed that they received 50 aid trucks through the Egypt-controlled crossing. These trucks contain essential supplies such as food, water, relief assistance, medical supplies, and medicine. However, prior to this, no aid convoys or fuel deliveries had entered Gaza since the resumption of bombings. The United Nations reports that aid convoys ready to enter Gaza had remained on the Egyptian side of the border, exacerbating the dire situation.
Before the truce, fewer than 100 trucks were passing into Gaza each day, while during the truce, approximately 200 trucks entered daily. However, this falls far short of the 500 trucks of aid that were entering the Gaza Strip daily before the conflict began. The current flow of aid is inadequate to meet the needs of the civilian population, according to the UN.
The main obstacle to aid delivery lies with an Israeli checkpoint established since October 21. This checkpoint requires rigorous vetting of each truck to ensure humanitarian assistance does not end up in the hands of Hamas. As a result, drivers are forced to make a round trip of over 80km (50 miles) from Rafah to a crossing on Egypt’s border with Israel, causing significant bottlenecks. Trucks undergo extensive scanning and searches, even for items as small as kitchen knives.
Hisham Mhanna of the International Committee of the Red Cross has expressed the difficulties faced by aid agencies operating in Gaza due to the ongoing fighting. He emphasizes the urgent need for a complete ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to alleviate at least some of the suffering endured by civilians. Political efforts are crucial to preventing the collapse of the humanitarian sector in Gaza.
The UN has been advocating for Israel to open the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing near Rafah, which used to handle large quantities of goods before the war. However, Israel has refused this request. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that humanitarian operations within Gaza have largely halted, with limited distributions of flour and services only available within shelters and areas south of Wadi Gaza. The evacuation of wounded individuals and the return of Gazans stranded in Egypt have also been suspended.
The Ministry of Health has announced the devastating toll of Israeli attacks, with the number of Palestinians killed rising to 15,207, the majority being women and children, since the conflict’s start on October 7. Additionally, over 40,000 people have been wounded, and the lack of treatment options in Gaza hospitals means that many will continue to die every day.
This situation highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive ceasefire and renewed efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Aid organizations are calling for immediate action to ensure the well-being and survival of the civilian population.
