Israeli army says 107 aid trucks entered Gaza on Thursday
A total of 107 aid trucks belonging to the UN and other aid groups carrying flour, food, medical equipment and pharmaceutical drugs entered the Gaza Strip yesterday, the Israeli army says.
Israel has allowed limited deliveries of humanitarian assistance into Gaza amid a wave of international condemnation of its 11-week total blockade on the territory, which spurred warnings of mass famine.
‘Disaster’ looms in Gaza if aid blockade continues
The lack of aid in Gaza is a “disaster” that will only worsen, warns Dr Ahmed al-Farrah, Nasser Hospital’s paediatrics and obstetrics department head.
“This disaster will be dire if there is a continuation in the blocking of food supplies,” al-Farrah told Al Jazeera. “I predict there will be many victims because of food insecurity. Most people now live off food scraps of what they had in stock.”
Aid trucks into Gaza ‘too little, too late, too slow’
The number of aid trucks that Israel has allowed into Gaza is insufficient and must be expanded, a spokesperson for the German government has said
“This is far too little, too late and too slow,” the spokesperson said. “Now it’s a matter of increasing it significantly … and ensuring that these aid supplies reach the people so that the suffering in the Gaza Strip comes to an end.”
Collapsed security situation threatens aid delivery
Despite the latest Israeli announcement to allow for a basic amount of aid into Gaza, the process faces severe challenges. One of the main challenges is the collapsed security here in Gaza. Many convoys are at high risk of being looted.
Israel has been systematically attacking police members securing aid delivery, creating a very unstable security environment and allowing armed gangs to take advantage of the situation.
Yesterday, eight trucks made the journey into the Strip. The Israeli army attacked a group of police members with Hamas’s Ministry of Interior while they were securing the delivery of those trucks.
As far as we know, six Palestinian officers were killed in the attack, with dozens of injuries among passersby.
Gaza’s needs are immense: Red Cross officer
Tommaso Della Longa of the International Federation of the Red Cross says the situation is “simply a nightmare” for people in Gaza.
“The news of aid entering the Strip is good news, but it is less than a drop in the ocean,” he said. Longa said even if some aid trucks recently entered the enclave, it did not mean aid was delivered to people.
“Until now, people did not get anything, and we need to have a humanitarian operation that scales [with people’s needs]. “If before the conflict started, we needed 500 to 600 trucks a day in Gaza, that means that number is now doubled as the needs are immense.”
