In the context of Israel’s intrusion into Gaza, aid facilities are closing one by one
“Humanitarian facilities in Rafah were forced to close one by one…Humanitarian aid flows into Gaza, which are insufficient to meet growing needs, have fallen by 67% since May 7,” the UN aid coordination office said. OCHAamid reports that kitchens, clinics and hospitals are closing.
Until the Israeli military seized and closed the Rafah border in the southern Gaza Strip, it remained a key entry point for food, water, fuel and medicine into Gaza as well as a route for sick people. and injured for treatment.
Powerless to help fight the famine threat
Reflecting those concerns, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warning that there is little the agency “can currently do in Rafah, with inventories very low and mobility severely limited”.
According to WFP, the West Erez border crossing in northern Gaza is “functional but not reliable.” Gate 96 further south and the Erez crossing are also “inaccessible” and access is “restricted” to southern areas of Gaza to the point that it the risk of causing famine at a catastrophic level similar to that in the North.
Tactical benefits
The development comes as the Israeli military said it had secured “tactical control” of the narrow 13km strip of land between Gaza and Egypt.
In a statement Wednesday, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman claimed that rocket launchers were used to attack Israel from the Philadelphia Corridor.
A senior Israeli official also reportedly told national radio on Wednesday that fighting in Gaza is likely to last at least until the end of the year.
The humanitarian situation is dire
After nearly eight months of war, Gaza’s entire population of 2.2 million people is almost completely dependent on humanitarian aid, including food.
Although much-needed supplies have been delivered to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Abu Salem, or Kerem Shalom, border crossing located near Rafah, United Nations humanitarians have repeatedly emphasized that it is unsafe to take them. all amid ongoing hostilities, impassable roads, unexploded weapons, fuel shortages and delays at checkpoints.
“Adults and children were exhausted from constant displacement, hunger, and fear,”WFP speak in its latest situation update. “They are looking forward to the end of the war, as are the humanitarian workers on the ground, who are largely displaced and scattered along with the people they are supposed to serve.”
Aid officials frequently reiterate Israel’s responsibility as the occupying power to ensure aid reaches those who need it, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, the United Nations food agency confirmed that relief aid and fuel from Egypt arrived in Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
“This is an important step but we need a long-term approach. We need all border crossings and crossings within Gaza to be open,” the organization said, adding that although some commercial goods had arrived in the area, “people cannot afford the price.” High”.
“We need more aid to get into the south because people need diversity in their diet, access to health care and water.”
In the latest update, the United Nations food agency said in the northRelief teams are distributing food packages, flour, hot meals and supporting bakeries.
In the central area, WFP is prioritizing hot meals to reach more people with fewer resources. It notes that faster support is now possible thanks to a recently introduced self-registration tool that allows people to update their location.
There are currently only four bakeries operating in Gaza City and one recently opened in Jabalia, supplying bread in the north. Of the 17 bakeries WFP operates in Gaza, only 11 are operating due to lack of fuel and other essentials.
“In Rafah, the health care situation remains dangerous, with only one hospital remaining operational,” the World Health Organization said, referring to the Al Emirati Maternity Hospital. This compares with three partially functional hospitals earlier this month. “Najjar Hospital was evacuated on May 7 and Al Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah was shut down on May 27,” WHO said, after a report quoted the hospital director that the incident occurred after two medical staff were killed when the hospital gate was hit by bullets.
Other aid operations closed this week in Rafah are said to include a field hospital and kitchen run by United Nations partners Palestine Red Crescent and World Central Kitchen .
Al Mawasi strike
OCHA quoted Gaza health authorities as saying that to date, at least 36,171 Palestinians have been killed and 81,420 injured in Gaza, since terrorist attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel on September 1, 2019. October 7 caused Israel to bomb heavily throughout this land.
“Mass casualties” were also reported Tuesday after an unconfirmed airstrike on a site for displaced people in the coastal area of Al Mawasi, southwest of Rafah. The UN aid office quoted the Gazan Health Ministry as reporting 21 deaths and 21 injuries.
