Gaza urgently needs a more effective humanitarian approach
Trucks carrying container homes wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing for permission from Israeli authorities to enter Gaza on Tuesday
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza has now held for a month. There have been critical moments and violations, but the mediators have so far managed to keep the deal alive.
This has allowed many of the 1.9 million displaced people to move back to areas they had fled from, easing the strain on southern and central Gaza which had hosted large makeshift camps without the necessary infrastructure.
The ceasefire has certainly brought a sense of relief to the Gaza Strip, which has endured unimaginable suffering for 15 months. But for the families who have survived the relentless bombing and destruction, the battle is far from over.
They face a new war – one against poverty, hunger, homelessness, and despair. Homes lie in ruins, hospitals are overwhelmed, and schools are either destroyed or still shelter the displaced and homeless. Gaza has been set back by decades.
Over the past weeks, we have seen aid access ramp up significantly into the Strip, particularly the north, which was besieged for months. But significant challenges remain.
Palestinians gather near a fire next to the rubble of destroyed buildings in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip on February 13
Oxfam says 80 percent of Gaza’s water infrastructure is damaged
The international charity Oxfam says 80 percent of water and sanitation networks in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed during Israel’s war on Gaza.
The damaged networks, including all six key wastewater treatment plants, have accelerated the spread of waterborne disease as hundreds of thousands of people shelter in tent camps, Oxfam said.
Israel keeps denying entry of heavy machinery into Gaza: Media Office chief
Rows of bulldozers are still left waiting outside the Rafah crossing in Egypt
Israel has only allowed six small machines to remove rubble from the Gaza Strip while preventing the entry of hundreds more that are desperately needed, according to Ismail al-Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office.
Thawabteh told the Anadolu news agency that “the Gaza Strip needs 500 heavy equipment units, including bulldozers, excavators, cranes, and others”.
He stressed that Gaza is experiencing “a suffocating humanitarian crisis due to the lack of the equipment and heavy machinery needed for the rubble removal, opening the roads, and recovering thousands of corpses”.
He noted that Israel’s decision to allow only six machines reflects its “state of ignorance regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
People sit around a tent to keep warm and provide light as the sun sets
Jordan to send ready-made houses to Gaza as part of aid campaign
The Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization has started preparing and sending ready-made houses to the Gaza Strip as part of the aid convoys.
The state-run organisation published a video today, showing the preparation of ready-made houses ready to be sent to Gaza, indicating that they have started shipping them to the Strip in cooperation with the armed forces.
A few days ago, the organisation sent tents to the displaced who lost their homes in various areas of Gaza due to the Israeli aggression.
Despite urgent needs, hundreds of heavy machinery and mobile homes are lined up at the border between Gaza and Egypt, awaiting Israeli approval to enter.
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