1 in 3 residents loot warehouses in search of food in Gaza Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP Residents loot warehouses in search of food in Gaza Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / AFP
For three weeks since the start of the war, Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip and prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid. In recent days, a few dozen trucks have been able to enter from the south, on the border with Egypt, but aid is not enough to care for the thousands of homeless people forced to flee Palestinian territory because of the bombings.
There is a lack of drinking water, food, medicine and energy. Israel fears that some aid could be diverted and end up in Hamas’s hands, particularly fuel. The hospitals are now at full capacity, powered by generators that rely on scarce fuel.
This Sunday, the United Nations warned of a possible “collapse of social order” after camps maintained by the organization were looted by Palestinians in search of food.
According to the United Nations, at least 40 trucks of aid would be needed daily to meet Gaza’s food needs.
2 out of 3 Palestinians are resorting to sea water because Israel has imposed supply cuts in Gaza Photo: Mohammed Dahman/AP Palestinians are resorting to sea water because Israel has imposed supply cuts in Gaza Photo: Mohammed Dahman/AP
In a telephone conversation this Sunday, Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel must defend its country To protect citizens from terrorism in a way that protects civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, said there were more than 8,000 dead. This figure has not been independently verified. There are around 1,400 dead on the Israeli side. In addition, 239 hostages kidnapped in Israel remain in the hands of Hamas.
Biden also spoke with and committed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah alSisi Accelerating humanitarian aid and to prevent the conflict from spreading in the region.
Hours after news of the conversation between the American and Egyptian leaders, Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas leader, put pressure on Egypt in a statement. “Egypt should not sit idly by and be content to allow relief supplies to enter Gaza,” the text says. “We expect Egypt to take a decisive stance that will allow aid to reach Gaza as quickly as possible.”
3 out of 3 Palestinians line up in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to get some bread Photo: Hatem Ali/AP Palestinians line up in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to get some bread Photo: Hatem Ali/AP