The United Nations announced on a recent Wednesday that it is making efforts to distribute critical aid currently in Gaza to Palestinian residents. However, the process has seen delays due to the risk of theft and strict Israeli military controls. The territory continues to be under heavy Israeli strikes witnessed by the escalation of fatalities; on record is a figure of at least 82 dead as documented by the Gaza Health Ministry.
Yielding to global criticism, Israel permitted several aid convoys to infiltrate Gaza after an almost three-month relentless blockade of food, medication, fuel, and other essential supplies. Despite this breakthrough, the recently arrived supplies remain stranded at the Gaza’s Kerem Shalom transition point with Israel. The United Nations has hit a snag trying to transport the supplies deeper into Gaza for distribution purposes.
The spokesperson for the United Nations indicated that most of the goods that had arrived since the start of the week had been transferred onto United Nations trucks. However, the challenge remains transporting them beyond the border-crossing area. The route assigned by the Israeli military for their use has been deemed too hazardous. Negotiations for an alternate route are currently in progress.
Specialists in food security have issued warnings that unless the blockade ceases, there’s a looming risk of Gaza plunging into a famine crisis. There is a rising incidence of malnutrition and hunger in the region. Supplies in aid groups to distribute expired weeks earlier, and a big chunk of the estimated 2.3 million population depend on communal kitchens which are almost running out of supplies.
In one such communal kitchen located in Gaza City, a charitable organization was seen distributing watery lentil soup; the condition of quality food has significantly dwindled. ‘Our plea is for an end to this war, not for these charity kitchens. What we get here, even dogs would refuse to eat, leave alone our kids,’ a local resident lamented.
Reports also surfaced about a disturbing incident in Jenin where Israeli shots were fired towards a delegate of international diplomats visiting the place. This alarming incident occurred in the Israeli-governed West Bank region, according to Israeli military sources. The delegation’s tour had an official approval, but they reportedly deviated from the initial approved path.
At the incident’s timing, the delegation which comprised approximately 20 regional, European, and Western diplomats, was receiving a briefing by Palestinian Authority officials on the humanitarian situation in the vicinity of the Jenin refugee camp entrance. The Israeli troops later issued an apology for the act and pledged to reach out to the countries involved in the visit.
Consequently, the Israeli forces have habitually raided Jenin in clampdown operations throughout the West Bank aimed at militants ever since the triggering of the Gaza war by a Hamas attack on Israel that took place on October 7, 2023. The repercussions of these events have pushed tens of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes. This displacement volume ranks among the highest in the recent West Bank history. The United States, Canada, and the European Union have already branded Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes have persisted in different parts of Gaza. In one fallout in the southern city of Khan Younis, which recently witnessed new evacuation orders from Israel pending an augmented offensive, there has been a total of 24 recorded fatalities, with 14 members from the same family. In central Gaza, an infant, around a week old, fell victim to the onslaught.
Israel claims its targets are primarily the infrastructures of Hamas and accuses the organization’s fighters of operating from civilian locations. In a significant development, Israeli troops have also encircled two operational hospitals in the northern part of Gaza, restricting entry or exit from either facility.
As part of the ongoing ceasefire agreement, roughly 600 trucks enter Gaza daily through the Kerem Shalom crossing point. Once these supplies are inside, aid workers are mandated to dismantle the cargo and reload them onto their respective trucks for distribution. An official informed The Associated Press, ‘we need to guarantee we will not be looted,’ adding that ‘for delivery, we prefer using our independent distribution system.’
Aid delivery has been historically marked by looting instances with desperation leading people to overrun aid trucks and seize supplies. The Gaza war has its roots in an attack led by Hamas terrorists on southern Israel, which led to the death of an approximate 1,200 individuals, majorly civilians, and the kidnapping of 251 others. About 58 captives, around a third believed to be alive, remain in possession for Hamas, after most individuals were returned via ceasefire agreements or other types of deals.
Israel’s response to these developments has been a fierce counter-offensive, causing substantial devastation across Gaza and resulting in more than 53,000 Palestinian fatalities, mostly women and children, based on records from Gaza’s Health Ministry. The United Kingdom took a firm stand on Tuesday, halting free trade talks with Israel in protests against the intensifying assault. The suspension came as the U.K., Canada, and France declared ‘concrete’ actions to urge Israel to cease the war.
Israel, on the other hand, has maintained its resolve to continue the war until all the hostages are released and Hamas is quashed, expelled, and disarmed. However, Hamas seems ready to release the hostages in exchange for a full Israeli retreat from the territory and an end to the war. It denies compliance with the terms of exile and disarmament.
The post United Nations Struggles to Distribute Aid in Gaza Amid Crisis appeared first on Real News Now.
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