UN humanitarian agency says ‘no alternative’ to aid delivery by land
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reiterated its calls for “swift, safe and unimpeded humanitarian passage [of aid] through all crossings”, saying “time is of the essence”. In a post on X, the UN agency said there is “no alternative to large-scale deliveries of aid by land in Gaza”.
Several countries have airdropped aid or coordinated deliveries via sea, yet the UN and other humanitarian actors have said repeatedly that such methods are expensive and inefficient and have called on Israel to open all land crossings to Gaza.
❗️ Urgent reminder: There's no alternative to large-scale deliveries of aid by land in #Gaza.
Swift, safe and unimpeded humanitarian passage through all crossings is paramount. Time is of the essence.
But security challenges, access constraints and other limitations persist. 👇 pic.twitter.com/gZgHDYHaXQ
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) March 28, 2024
That second aid ship still hasn't arrived, actually it was supposed to be 2 ships. Looks like it's heading out Saturday, the first one arrived March 15th...
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1234985/second-aid-ship-heading-to-gaza-from-cyprus/
The second ship transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza as part of the Amalthea project is likely to depart from Larnaca, Cyprus on Saturday, according to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
The journey by the 80-meter-long Jennifer to Gaza will take about three days. Citing sources, the CNA said the Jennifer will also tow the barge that the first ship, Open Arms, had transported to Gaza. The Open Arms, which had transported 200 tons of food around two weeks ago, will accompany the Jennifer along with another support vessel to transport equipment.
So Tuesday April 2nd they might get there, 2.5 weeks in between deliveries.
Stalled Israeli visas hindering Gaza aid efforts: Report
Aid efforts are being thwarted by difficulties in getting visas and other permits for foreign staff to work inside Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Reuters news agency reports six aid workers from the UN and other groups interviewed cited delays to visas as an example of red tape they say is restricting aid to Gaza, nearly six months into Israel’s war.
UN data shows 45 visa requests are pending, more than half of which have been on hold for two months and several others stalled since at least November. A further 20 UN requests pending since late 2023 were completely dropped because of delays. The affected missions were either abandoned or postponed.
Israel’s foreign ministry had no immediate response.
‘Catastrophic hunger’: Israel blocking aid to Gaza: Oxfam
The British charity made the assertions in a report as international protests surge against shortages of food, water and medicine in the besieged and battered Palestinian enclave.
The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned northern Gaza could be hit by famine any time between mid-March and May, and more than 70 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is facing “catastrophic hunger”.
Meanwhile Israel keeps boasting they fail to meet the target of at least 500 trucks a day. (Which was before Israel shut off the water, fuel, electricity and destroyed the agricultural sector)
Israel says 205 aid trucks allowed into the Gaza Strip
Israeli authorities inspected and transferred 205 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) also said 131 packages of food aid were airdropped over northern Gaza today.
It said 19 food aid trucks belonging to the “private sector” were allowed into northern Gaza, where infants and small children are dying from hunger and dehydration.Israel says it will “continue to expand” its aid efforts even as the UN and others continue to criticise it for hampering aid amid an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
COGAT claimed to have cleared 274 aid trucks to Gaza on Wednesday. Before the war on Gaza began, about 500 trucks carrying humanitarian relief entered the territory daily. Critics have denounced Israeli-imposed “starvation” of Palestinians.
The woefully inadequate average remains the same.
