The delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza remains at a standstill as concerns grow about the rapidly worsening conditions of the population trapped in the besieged enclave.
Multiple sources told CNN last Thursday (19) that the Rafah crossing is no longer expected to be reopened this Friday (20) for a first aid convoy.
“I wouldn’t bet money on those trucks passing by tomorrow,” he told CNN a source familiar with the discussions explained that the situation was “volatile.”
The situation remains fluid, US officials said. Road repairs are needed on the Egyptian side of the crossing and there are concerns about ensuring that deliveries can continue and are not just one-offs.
The people of Gaza had their electricity, food, fuel and water supplies cut off for more than a week, under a “total siege” ordered by Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7.
The relentless bombardment by Israeli warplanes has left hundreds of thousands homeless and sparked growing protests across the Middle East, raising fears that the war could escalate into a wider regional conflict.
An agreement between Egypt and Israel to allow aid to Gaza was reached by US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (18).
Speaking after his visit to Israel, Biden said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had agreed to open the Rafah crossing into Gaza for humanitarian aid – the only one not controlled by Israel.
He also stated that the first deliveries were expected this Friday, although that date now appears uncertain. US officials still say that the first convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid from Egypt to Gaza will cross the border this weekend, possibly this Saturday (21).
David Satterfield, US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, was “on the ground negotiating with the Israelis” about delivering aid, US State Department spokesman Matt Miller said.
But it’s unclear what impact the initial delivery might have.
Rushing aid to Gaza will be “an absolute marathon”, he told CNN Dr. Richard Brennan, World Health Organization Regional Emergency Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, adding that there are “many complexities in getting this relief operation underway.”
The goal is to distribute up to 100 trucks of aid per day, Brennan explained.
Fuel is not included among the supplies, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
“Fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants – and we call on Israel to add fuel to the vital supplies allowed into Gaza,” Tedros added.
Speaking from Egypt, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a humanitarian ceasefire, asking Hamas to release the 200 hostages it captured during its attack on Israel.
Guterres also called on Israel to allow “immediate and unrestricted access to humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza.”
Israel remains at war as it prepares for a possible ground operation.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops gathered not far from the Gaza Strip on Thursday that they would “soon see” the enclave “from the inside,” according to a press release from his office.
VIDEO – Israel: Troops will see Gaza “from the inside” soon”
“There is no life now”
Israel has maintained an air, land and sea blockade of Gaza for almost 17 years, meaning the strip is almost completely cut off from the rest of the world.
Conditions were already dire before the war – and they have rapidly worsened after Israel cut off electricity, food, water and fuel supplies to Gaza following an attack by Hamas, the radical Islamic group that controls the strip.
This wave of murders and kidnappings killed around 1,400 people in Israel, most of them civilians, in what has been described as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
In the following days, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 3,700 people in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas. More than 1,000 children were among the dead.
The enclave’s only power plant stopped working more than a week ago, forcing civilians and hospitals to rely on power generators for electricity. However, fuel supplies are at dangerously low levels.
In central Gaza, images of CNN showed long queues in front of a gas station in Deir Al-Balah on Thursday.
The gas station used its gasoline reserves for residents to fill up their gas cans. The owner told a producer from CNN that when the reserves run out there will be no more fuel.
Residents also stated that many supermarkets are no longer able to supply food, as they have no way of replacing the products they already sell.
“There’s no life now… It’s just trying to survive. That’s it,” she told CNN a Palestinian living in Gaza who wished to remain anonymous.
He explained how tiring daily tasks had become for residents. Many wait in line for up to five hours to receive bread – although it is not enough to feed a family, as he mentioned.
UN agencies have warned that the enclave’s warehouses are just days away from running out of food and that Gaza’s last seawater desalination plant has been closed, increasing the risk of more deaths, dehydration and water-borne diseases.
As near-constant airstrikes hit the area, overwhelmed hospitals are running out of medicine and fuel to keep the lights on while overworked doctors struggle to save lives.
UN human rights experts warned on Thursday that Israel’s actions in Gaza were “resulting in crimes against humanity.”
“There is an ongoing campaign by Israel that results in crimes against humanity in Gaza. Considering the statements made by Israeli political leaders and their allies, accompanied by military action in Gaza and the escalation of arrests and murders in the West Bank, there is also a risk of genocide against the Palestinian people,” the statement continues.
VIDEO – Gaza: humanitarian crisis worsens after hospital explosion
Open for help only
Located in northern Sinai, Egypt, the Rafah crossing is the only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. It sits along a 12.8-kilometer border that separates Gaza from the Sinai desert and has been tightly controlled on each side of the border for years.
The decision to open the passage came after several days of negotiations.
Egypt has repeatedly denied that the crossing has been closed at its end of the border, saying aid has been pending assurances that incoming trucks will not be targeted by Israel.
Biden said the crossing would only be open for aid, not evacuations – leaving an uncertain fate for the 2.2 million Palestinians stranded in Gaza, including foreign and dual citizens.
Israel said it will not block humanitarian aid reaching Gaza from Egypt, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. But it will not allow supplies to enter Gaza from its own territory until Hamas releases all hostages.
On Thursday morning, at least 30 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in several areas of Rafah, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, an indication of the difficulties of getting aid through the area.
Preparations for its opening appeared to be underway on Thursday when Egyptian authorities were seen removing cement blocks at the intersection’s entrance, several drivers at the intersection told reporters. CNN .
Aid trucks were also seen by a journalist lining up on the highway near the border with Egypt.
Calls for help have become increasingly desperate over the past week as Palestinians in Gaza have fled south, heeding warnings from Israel to evacuate from the north – although many quickly discovered that nowhere was safe. safe on this densely populated strip of land.
Terrible conditions getting worse
Public fury was already growing, especially in Arab countries, over conditions in Gaza. But it erupted after a deadly explosion hit Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on Tuesday, which Gaza authorities said killed hundreds of civilians.
Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of attacking the hospital, a claim the Israelis deny.
Israeli and US intelligence assessed that the explosion was caused by a missile that failed to fire from another extremist group based in Gaza.
The explosion, which occurred hours before Biden left the White House for his trip to the Middle East, triggered furious unrest within his administration – and caused the postponement of a meeting with Arab leaders in Jordan.
With the rise of anti-Israel protests across the Middle East, there are fears that other fronts could be opened, especially on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah dominates and has been in increasing clashes with the Israeli military along the way. over the last week.
The Iran-backed Lebanese extremist group said it attacked five Israeli military posts on the border with “direct and appropriate weapons” destroying part of their technical capabilities, in a statement Thursday.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN on Thursday that there was a “significant escalation” by Hezbollah, saying the group fired several anti-tank missiles from Lebanon and tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate Israel.
“What some in Hezbollah are doing now is dragging Lebanon into a conflict in which it has nothing to do and from which it certainly will not benefit,” Conricus said.
See also: See the moment a hospital in Gaza is hit by an attack
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
