How many trucks have arrived in the Gaza Strip so far?
Reports from humanitarian aid organizations and news agencies agree that last weekend, 20 trucks arrived in the Gaza Strip on Saturday (October 21, 2023) and 14 on Sunday. Individual sources provide slightly different figures.
According to the Egyptian Red Crescent, another 40 trucks are expected to pass through the Rafah border crossing on Monday (October 23, 2023). At the time of publishing this article, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) confirmed the arrival of just 20 trucks.
After the large-scale terrorist attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, Israel completely blocked the borders of the Palestinian territory with more than two million inhabitants for two weeks.
What do aid deliveries include?
Israel has agreed to provide drinking water, food, medicine and other medical supplies. Israeli security forces check the contents of trucks in a transit zone to prevent more weapons and weapons-grade material from entering the Gaza Strip. Above all, Israel wants to prevent Hamas from benefiting from the supplies provided.
What is needed in the Gaza Strip?
Humanitarian organizations estimate that around 100 trucks would have to arrive in Gaza every day to meet the basic needs of the civilian population. They are also demanding the delivery of fuel to the Gaza Strip to keep hospital power generators and water supplies running. Just a few days after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the only major power plant in the Palestinian territory went offline.
Several media outlets report that drinking water is also in short supply. People would consume seawater or other non-potable water, which would have serious consequences for their health. The US news agency AP reported that about a quarter of hospitals in the Gaza Strip had to cease operations, partly because of the damage caused by the attacks and partly because of a lack of fuel for the hospitals’ emergency units. On Monday, UNRWA warned that its fuel deliveries would only last three days.
Will fuel also be delivered to Gaza?
The French news agency AFP reported on Sunday that six tankers carrying fuel had passed through the Rafah border crossing. However, there are no other independent sources. Only a Palestinian spokesman confirmed the situation. According to The Times of Israel, Israeli authorities have denied this report.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Authority for the Palestinian Territories (COGAT) confirmed that fuel from UN depots had been brought to hospitals. This is consistent with an AP report that seven tankers were filled with fuel from a UN depot in the Gaza Strip.
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How much help is available?
Aid deliveries have been possible at the Rafah border crossing for days. According to the United Nations World Food Program, nearly 1,000 tons of food were brought to the Gaza border. In addition, numerous countries have sent aid to Gaza. Russia announced the delivery of 27 tons of food last week. India donated 6.5 tonnes of medical equipment and 32 tonnes of emergency supplies. Several Arab countries, Turkey and Rwanda also provided aid to Egypt for the Palestinians.
The European Union announced that it would provide 75 million euros in humanitarian aid and wants to set up an airlift there to support the civilian population. Germany also announced economic aid with 123 million euros, Denmark with seven million and the USA with 94.
Will there be further deliveries of humanitarian aid?
Humanitarian organizations are pushing for continued aid to the Gaza Strip. US President Joe Biden warned over the weekend that the first deliveries should be viewed as a test. If Hamas diverts its supplies for its own use, aid would be cut off.
(rmr/ms)