The first shipment of humanitarian aid by sea in Gaza is now a reality. The ship of the international organization Open Arms together with World Central Kitchen managed to successfully carry almost “200 tons of food.”
“All cargo has been unloaded and is being prepared for distribution in Gaza,” World Central Kitchen said in a statement.
The Israeli Army also confirmed the arrival of the ship, stating that its contents had been unloaded on the night of Friday, March 15, in 12 trucks. Furthermore, the military institution stressed that it deployed soldiers to secure the area and carry out a security inspection.
The food on the ship was sent by World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, and was transported by Spanish aid group Open Arms. On board were foods such as rice, flour, lentils, beans, tuna and canned meat, among others.
The food is expected to be distributed in the north of the Palestinian enclave, one of the areas most impacted by the war where up to 300,000 Palestinians are believed to remain, mostly isolated by Israeli forces since last October.
The ship had left Cyprus and had inaugurated a maritime corridor promoted by the United States and the European Union. It is expected that other types of shipments like this will be made to try to counteract the hunger that affects a large part of the Gazan population after more than five months of war.
Although this is an achievement to assist the Gazan population, Western countries and humanitarian aid agencies emphasize that the maritime courier is not enough to meet the urgent needs of Gazans, which is why they urge Israel to open land crossings. to allow help in.
The UN said it faced “overwhelming obstacles” including crossing closures, movement restrictions and unrest inside Gaza.
One in three Gaza children suffers from acute malnutrition
The shipment becomes even more relevant if the situation of children in Gaza is taken into account. According to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA), one in three children is severely malnourished.
“Child malnutrition is spreading rapidly and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza,” the agency stated. In addition, he noted that famine was looming.
On March 8, the Gaza Ministry of Health and several hospitals in the enclave reported that at least 20 people, most of them children, died from malnutrition and dehydration.
An alert that was joined by the Commissioner for Crisis Management of the European Union, Janez Lenarčič, who on March 14 emphasized that “there are already pockets of famine in Gaza.”
This comes as the international food monitoring body (IPC) is expected to soon report on the extent of the hunger crisis in Gaza. In December he had already assured that there was a risk of famine. For famine to be declared, at least 20% of the population must be suffering from extreme food shortages.
More than 30 people killed in a shelter for refugees
Hamas Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra reported the death of at least 36 people, including women and children, in an attack on a house where displaced people were crowded in Nuseirat, in the center of the Palestinian enclave.
In addition, another air attack by Israeli forces against another home in the same area was reported. According to medical sources, at least seven other Palestinians were killed.
The Israeli Army said that in Nuseirat it killed at least 15 suspected militants, who, it reported, were “hiding in a Hamas site” reported by intelligence information. On the other hand, they detailed that they killed “a commander of a sniper squad” of the Islamist group and another member of the movement at the same point.
With the people killed by the Israeli attacks on Friday night, the total number of fatalities, since last October 7, rose to at least 31,553 Palestinians. 73,546 injuries have also been reported.
In the last few hours, a total of at least 63 Palestinians were killed and 112 injured.
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