The humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens as not enough aid is reaching the strip, leaving Palestinians in a state of “survival mode” amid heavy Israeli attacks. After more than two months of Israeli bombing and forced displacement of people to the enclave’s south, the situation has become dire.
Hungry and desperate Palestinians were seen jumping onto aid trucks in order to get food and other supplies in Gaza’s Rafah area near the border with Egypt. Dozens of Palestinians surrounded the aid trucks, forcing some to stop before climbing aboard, pulling food and water boxes down, and carrying them off or passing them off to crowds below. Some trucks appeared to be guarded by masked people carrying sticks.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah, stated, “The humanitarian situation has become very desperate, not only for the residents of Rafah city but also for the one million displaced Palestinians here who are becoming hungry, thirsty and traumatized as the war pounds on.”
The United Nations has expressed concerns about the situation, with Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, warning that people in Gaza are so “desperate for food” that they are stopping aid trucks and immediately eating what they find. Carl Skau, the deputy head of the UN World Food Programme, confirmed that nearly half of the people in Gaza are starving, with no idea where their next meal is coming from.
Drone footage from southern Gaza on Sunday showed volunteers from the Gaza Emergency Relief preparing a giant stew, highlighting the efforts to address the starvation crisis. Aid deliveries crossing into Gaza via Rafah, the sole entry point on the Egyptian border, are only a fraction of pre-conflict levels, despite the surge in needs.
Additionally, the ongoing Israeli military assault on the southern part of the enclave has further exacerbated the situation, cutting off people from essential supplies. The continued targeting of Rafah by Israeli air strikes has resulted in more casualties and destruction.
The situation in Gaza is dire, and humanitarian aid is urgently needed to prevent further suffering and loss of life.