2023-10-25 12:04:15
This is one of the keys to the current war between Israel and Hamas. Supplies to Gaza have been virtually non-existent since Israel declared a siege of this Palestinian enclave. The UN (United Nations) is concerned about the urgency of the situation.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees could cease its activities as of Wednesday for lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip, besieged and shelled again during the night by the Israeli army. The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, called on Tuesday for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and condemned the “clear violations of humanitarian law” in the Palestinian territory, continuously bombarded since the attack launched on the 7th. October against Israel by Hamas. This call aroused the anger of Israel. “Mr. Secretary General, in what world do you live? », Launched the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen. “Without a doubt, it’s not ours. »
International aid has begun to trickle into the small territory where 2.4 million Palestinians live in catastrophic humanitarian conditions. But it represents “a drop in an ocean of needs”, judged Guterres. Six hospitals in the Gaza Strip, for example, have already had to close due to lack of fuel, according to the World Health Organization.
“Without fuel, aid cannot be delivered, hospitals have no electricity and drinking water cannot be purified or even pumped,” Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday. ” Hurry up. We urgently need fuel,” said Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, who fears having to stop its operations as of Wednesday evening.
A ceasefire “would only benefit Hamas”
The UN is urgently calling for the delivery of fuel, notably to run generators in hospitals, purify water and allow trucks to circulate to deliver cargo. According to the United States, a ceasefire to allow the arrival of this aid would “only benefit Hamas”, in power in the Gaza Strip. However, “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting must be considered, nuanced the American Secretary of State, the equivalent of a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antony Blinken, before the UN Security Council, while the President Joe Biden said the delivery of aid is “not fast enough”.
Israel rules out letting fuel enter the Gaza Strip. “No, at the moment we have no interest in Hamas’ military machine receiving more fuel, and we have not authorized any fuel,” said Mark Regev, an adviser to the prime minister. The IDF, the Israeli army, even claims that Hamas is withholding fuel, as shown in this message posted online on Tuesday.
The Gaza Strip, a poor territory of 362 km² (three times the size of Paris), subject to an Israeli land, air and sea blockade since Hamas took power there in 2007, has been placed since October 9 in state of “complete siege” by Israel, which has cut off water, electricity and food supplies. This siege is accompanied by relentless bombardment of the territory by Israel, which has intensified its strikes as a prelude to a probable ground offensive.
Several dozen trucks loaded with international aid have arrived in Gaza since Saturday from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. It is the only crossing point into Gaza that is not under Israeli control. But for the UN, at least a hundred trucks per day would be necessary.
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