The First Aid to Arrive in Gaza Since Israel’s Retaliatory Airstrike Attacks Kicked on Israel and Its Associated U.N. Soldiers
Both countries have expressed concerns: Israel sought assurances that Hamas would not divert aid or use the trucks to smuggle in weapons, asking that U.N. workers inspect trucks before they entered Gaza. Egypt won’t allow the displacement of Palestinian refugees across its border.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, who arrived at the Egyptian side of the border crossing on Friday, called for aid to be allowed into Gaza as soon as possible.
Israeli officials say the siege is necessary to stamp out Hamas and that they won’t let in aid unless 200 hostages are freed.
For two weeks since the Gaza-based militant group Hamas launched a wave of deadly attacks on Israel, Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes have damaged and destroyed thousands of buildings across Gaza, including homes, schools and U.N.-operated shelters. Israeli military officials say the strikes are targeted at Hamas militants and infrastructure.
During his visit to Israel this week, the President Biden tried to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattaba el- Sisi to allow in aid.
The first humanitarian aid to arrive in the territory since the Israeli bombardment began two weeks ago was accomplished on Saturday, when 20 trucks crossed into Gaza from Egypt.
Hundreds of U.S. citizens who have been trapped in Gaza because of the war have been waiting to hear about the border’s status.
Like many other people in Gaza, Abuzayda and her husband moved to the south after Israel urged people to flee from the northern part of Gaza.
The Hamas Project in Gaza: Thousands of Palestinians, Hundreds of Liver, Many Children, and a Lifeline for People with Chronic Diseases
Her son was sleeping nearby when a window was shattered as a building was struck. I hugged him after pulling him. He was freaking out. He was looking at me — he doesn’t know what is going on,” she said. “We are not safe here.”
On Thursday night, tensions rose after Israeli forces and the Palestinians clashed in a refugee camp northeast of Tel Aviv.
An Israeli airstrike and an exchange of fire between Israeli police and Palestinians followed a search and arrest operation in the camp, according to the United Nations. The IDF said “a number of terrorists” were killed in counterterrorism operations; Palestinian health officials reported at least 11 deaths. The death of an Israeli policeman is reported by Israeli media.
Palestinians claim that at least 80 people have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces since the start of the war.
At least 20 children, including toddlers, have been taken by Hamas, according to Israeli officials, as well as more than a dozen people, including people with Parkinson’s disease, heart problems, diabetes and cancer. On top of that, several hostages were gravely wounded by gunshots and grenades during the terrorist attack.
The level of violence in Gaza has made it hard for the Red Cross to do their work, but they held numerous telephone calls with Hamas officials.
“The starting point — and I have a hard time getting away from this — is that there are people who should never be there,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the organization’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, in an interview this past week.
Mr. Carboni stated that the ones with specific medical conditions should be released more than the others. There’s no way they can provide the medical help they need in Gaza. We asked for it. But today we are far from it, very far.”
“These supplies are a lifeline for severely injured people or those battling chronic illnesses, who have endured a harrowing two weeks of limited access to care and severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies,” the WHO said in a statement.
Some food, mattresses and blankets were included in the delivery, according to aid workers. Notably, no fuel arrived, which aid groups say is needed to power hospitals and desalination plants for much-needed water.
20 truckloads aren’t enough to address the humanitarian needs of Gaza, where there is a severe shortage of food and water, according to aid groups.
“They are the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a Friday visit to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing. “And to see them stuck here makes me be very clear: What we need is to make them move, to make them move to the other side of this wall.”
“The shelling is everywhere. The father of a Swedish child said that he and his daughter are frightened more than if they had been inside because they are sleeping near the crossing. He said they were stuck there for days and hoped to escape when the doors opened.