Gaza aid groups scramble as pledged US cash flow suspended: Report
Earlier we reported The Associated Press news agency quoting USAID officials who said hundreds of millions of dollars to buy humanitarian aid for the desperate people of Gaza have been shut off by the US government, threatening to derail the fragile ceasefire.
“The US established very specific, concrete commitments for aid delivery under the ceasefire and there is no way… to fulfil those as long as the funding freeze is in place,” said Jeremy Konyndyk, president of Refugees International and a former USAID official.
Termination letters severing the contracts between USAID and Gaza partners were sent out to organisations providing shelter, child protection, and logistical support in the Gaza aid operation, one USAID official told AP.
The move comes as Israel prevents any food, water, fuel, and medicine from entering the besieged Palestinian territory for a sixth day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now says he’s considering cutting off electricity to raise pressure on Hamas.
Fuel and medical supplies scarce amid Israel’s aid blockade
The situation is hanging by a thread. The Israelis’ ban on the entry of all sorts of aid into the Gaza Strip has done nothing but complicate both the humanitarian and medical situation.
We have seen throughout Gaza’s barely functional hospitals that medical teams are trying to do everything possible in order to continue to provide essential medical services. We’re talking about more than 100,000 wounded people who have injuries from Israel’s military attacks on Gaza, and now this ban has triggered huge concerns regarding two important issues: fuel and medical supplies.
Hospitals and medical centres are in desperate need of fuel in order to help medical teams continue to provide services. The vast majority of hospitals rely on emergency generators and now with the ban on fuel trucks entering the situation is getting much worse.
And it’s expected to get even worse within the coming days if there is not any serious intervention.
Aid organisations warn conditions are worsening in Gaza amid Israeli aid block
For six days, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, triggering dire consequences.
Food and fuel supplies are depleting, and the rainy weather is making living conditions unbearable for families sheltering in makeshift camps. Aid groups, including CARE, report that trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and shelter materials were scheduled to reach Gaza but have been halted.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports from a temporary shelter in Gaza City, where people describe their worsening struggle against hunger and cold.
Houthis to resume attacks if Israel’s Gaza blockade not lifted
Yemen’s Houthis will resume naval operations against Israel if Israel does not lift its blockage of aid into Gaza within four days, the group’s, leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, has said.
The Houthis – who control most of western Yemen, including the capital city Sanaa – have launched attacks throughout the Gaza war in stated solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Since November 2023, the group has carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and launched missiles and drones towards Israel. It said it would limit attacks after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war last month.
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