Israeli military’s advance in Gaza City causing more displacement, disrupting aid routes
Just minutes ago, I clearly heard the sound of machineguns and explosions from the eastern part of the city.
The same scenario keeps unfolding: Israel’s military is advancing beyond the yellow line. Over the past few days, they advanced 300 metres past the yellow line, pushing their armoured vehicles and tanks into areas Palestinians had returned to.
The move is not just tactical; it carries humanitarian and psychological consequences for a population already living under extreme instability. People who were hoping for quieter days now fear a new wave of displacement. Some have been forced to flee again, seeking safety in what is left of the western part of Gaza City.
The Israeli military’s advance has also disrupted critical access routes and pathways used by international aid agencies. They are forced to reassess the safe corridors on the ground, slowing down the delivery of much-needed aid to people across Gaza.
Amount of aid getting in ‘nowhere near enough’
Aid is still just trickling into the Gaza Strip. It’s nowhere near enough to meet the population’s growing demands. We’re not just talking about [a shortage of] food and water supplies, but also medical supplies.
The alternative [to humanitarian aid] is [goods brought in by] approved business owners and traders, who are forced to pay a sum of money each time to bring in commercial trucks. Most of the time, these trucks are not carrying essentials; they’re carrying non-essentials while urgent items are left behind and hospitals are left without medical supplies.
Meanwhile, all of Gaza’s borders, including Karem Abu Salem, are still under Israeli military control. The military controls all the items that get into Gaza, making it very difficult for aid agencies to properly coordinate the entry of aid and respond to emergencies across the Strip.
Aid ‘scale-up’ in Gaza challenging because of Israeli restrictions: UN
The “ongoing humanitarian scale-up” in Gaza remains constrained, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says, as Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on goods and limits access to land crossings. Dujarric cited restrictions “affecting visas and import approvals, too few crossing points operating, and limited facilitation of humanitarian movements inside Gaza”.
“Between 12 and 18 November, the UN and our partners tried to coordinate more than 50 humanitarian movements with the Israeli authorities. Most were to collect cargo from the three crossings that were open. Over a third were either denied or initially approved but then impeded on the ground.”
Dujarric noted even with the opening of the Zikim crossing, overall aid levels remain unchanged because “we’re only allowed to offload and collect cargo at Zikim and Kissufim [al-Karara] on an alternating schedule.”
‘A massacre in slow motion’
Even as Israel’s bombardment has slowed during the ceasefire, its severe restrictions on humanitarian assistance means famine will keep killing Palestinians, an analyst warns.
Alex de Waal has spent more than 40 years studying famine and war crimes. He spoke to AJ+ about how Israel purposely kept Gaza on the edge of famine for months on end. Israel’s starvation will be felt by Palestinians for generations – physically, biologically and societally, de Waal said.
