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Aid deliveries ‘barely scratch the surface’ of Gaza’s needs
While the consistent arrival of aid trucks is a crucial lifeline, it barely scratches the surface. The wide-scale destruction in Gaza has left families scattered, homeless and without access to basic necessities.
We have heard from the UNICEF spokesperson that the scale of needs in Gaza is huge and goes beyond the capacity of the UN organisation. This reveals a grim reality about the situation in Gaza, following the destruction of entire residential areas and essential civil infrastructure.
The Government Media Office has said more than 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks are needed to enter Gaza on a daily basis to help the population recover.
Israeli tanks shoot near southern Gaza’s Karem Abu Salem crossing
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting heavy fire from Israeli tanks around the Karem Abu Salem crossing, east of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
The crossing, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, has been one of the key passages for aid entering the besieged Gaza Strip. Since the ceasefire between Palestinian group Hamas and Israel began on January 19, several incidents of violations have been reported in the coastal enclave. On Tuesday, Israeli gunfire also wounded a fisherman off the coast of Gaza City, while an Israeli drone injured another civilian inside the city.
No hospital in Gaza is fully operational: Health Ministry
Gaza Health Ministry official Maher Shamiyeh has provided an update on the dire situation for medical facilities in the war-battered enclave:
- There is no fully functioning hospital in Gaza.
- Kamal Adwan Hospital – considered an icon of the health sector in northern Gaza – has been completely destroyed.
- We demand immediate help to have the entire healthcare sector rehabilitated and restored, including the maintenance of medical facilities and reconstruction of those destroyed.
- Eighty-six health centres of 139 operating in Gaza have been evacuated.
- We demand that Israel immediately release Dr Hussam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, together with all medical staff, doctors and nurses detained unjustly and unlawfully.
US, Egyptian firms to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza: Report
Israel’s Walla news site reports US and Egyptian security firms will be employed to prevent arms smuggling into the northern Gaza Strip until the end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
Two US companies – Safe Search Solutions and UG Solutions – will employ armed security guards for inspections at the Netzarim Corridor, just south of Gaza City. The firms will manage a key vehicle checkpoint along Salah al-Din Street in Gaza and facilitate the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, the news report said.
The third company is an Egyptian security firm whose owners are associated with Egyptian intelligence, it added.
Israel’s control of Rafah crossing on Gaza side a major issue with Egypt
Israel says it’s going to control the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt during the first stage of the ceasefire as it’s set to reopen on Saturday.
New satellite images show a significant Israeli military presence in and around the crossing. Sand barriers, military vehicles, bulldozers and construction equipment can be seen. Analyst Luciano Zaccara said Israel’s “military control of this crossing” posed one of the “biggest problems” several months ago between Egypt and Israel.
“Egypt doesn’t want Israel to be there. It doesn’t want its military presence there,” Zaccara, Gulf politics professor at Qatar University, told Al Jazeera.
“Supposedly, in the first phase of this ceasefire, Israel would leave this control, but it looks like Israel may be negotiating that.”
In May last year, Israel took over the Gaza side of the crossing and destroyed it, cutting off Palestinians from the outside world and blocking desperately needed humanitarian aid.
Israeli tank fire kills two Palestinians west of Rafah
At least two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli tank fire in the Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood, west of Rafah, in southern Gaza, the enclave’s civil defence told Al Jazeera.
