According to Martin Griffiths, United Nations aid coordinator, at least 100 trucks a day are needed to meet the worst needs of Gazans. Before the war, 450 trucks drove daily to the Gaza Strip, which is highly dependent on international aid.
Israel has agreed to the first aid convoy, on the condition that the cargo can be inspected for weapons and does not end up with Hamas. Israel also does not want to allow fuel, because it could be used by Hamas. However, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, fuel is essential, including for water pumps. Fuel is also needed for the generators used in hospitals now that Israel has cut power.
According to Al Jazeera, incubator babies, cancer and kidney patients are at risk of dying if hospitals are not supplied with fuel quickly. In addition, the last functioning desalination plant, which converts seawater into drinking water, has been shut down due to a lack of fuel.
Humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip is hampered by the damage to roads caused by Israeli bombardments. The situation on the ground is also unsafe: Israel has bombed the Rafah area four times since October 7.
Humanitarian aid necessary
France called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” on Saturday morning to supply Gaza. On Friday evening, Defense Minister Ollongren called for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to pass through. Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, also wants the fighting to stop to provide aid to the Gazans. At the Rafah border crossing, “you see full trucks on one side, and empty stomachs on the other side,” Guterres said. The World Health Organization (WHO) wanted a humanitarian truce and the unlimited supply of aid to the Gaza Strip.
UN Coordinator Griffiths said he is confident that Saturday’s first trucks will mark the start of a “sustainable effort to provide the people of Gaza with essential supplies – including water, medicine, food and fuel.” According to Griffiths, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which was already precarious before the war, has now reached catastrophic levels. “The people of Gaza have endured decades of suffering. The international community cannot abandon them now.”
The humanitarian aid was also discussed during a peace summit of Arab and European leaders held in Cairo on Saturday. The summit meeting did not produce any concrete results, also because the main countries involved, Israel, the United States and Iran, were absent.
Increasing dissatisfaction
However, the statements of European and Arab leaders reflected the increasing dissatisfaction with Israel’s actions. After the October 7 Hamas attack, European leaders expressed their support for Israel. Two weeks later, after continued bombings and a blockade of the Gaza Strip, Europeans became critical of Israel. EU President Michel called the blockade of the Gaza Strip contrary to international law. Israel has the right to defend itself, Michel said, but it also has a duty to protect civilians and infrastructure as much as possible. British Foreign Secretary Cleverly called on the Israeli army to exercise restraint. Michel and Italian Prime Minister Meloni advocated a two-state solution that should lead to a separate state for the Palestinians.
Pro-Western Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan also strongly criticized Israel’s actions. “The liquidation of the Palestinian cause is not within the realm of possibility, and will certainly not take place at Egypt’s expense,” Egyptian President Sisi said, hinting at a possible expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt’s Sinai Desert. The speeches of Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah testified to the growing anger in the Arab world, including in countries that long ago made peace with Israel, and the increasing isolation of the Jewish state.
