Trucks carrying desperately needed aid into Gaza have started
moving ashore on the temporary floating dock built by the United
States military, but this is not enough to meet the needs of
civilians, UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on
Friday.
OCHA warned that the
maritime corridor cannot replace critical land routes, which are
the quickest and most effective way of delivering humanitarian
aid in the besieged enclave, where more than two million
Palestinians desperately need food, shelter and other
assistance.
“Any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route,” Spokesperson
Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva. “But, it is an addition,
and it doesn't take away the fact that land crossings will be
more important.”
Additional aid route
The US military's Central Command announced that the trucks began
rolling at approximately 9am, local time, on Friday, and that no
troops went ashore.
The floating dock was anchored to a beach in Gaza the previous
day. With most border crossings to the enclave closed or unsafe,
it will provide an additional path for aid delivery to the
embattled enclave.
The United Nations welcomes any effort towards ensuring that aid
reaches Gaza, said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking in
New York later on Friday.
“As such, we are grateful to the United States, as well as to
Cyprus, with the support of other Member States, to sustain the
maritime corridor as an additional route for aid to Gaza,” he
said.
He explained that “after months of discussions with all relevant
authorities, the UN has agreed to support in receiving and
arranging for the dispatch of aid into Gaza from the floating
dock, as long as it respects the neutrality and independence of
humanitarian operations.”
Open all crossings
Mr. Laerke said UN agencies are finalising their readiness plans
for handling the aid once the floating dock is properly
functioning, keeping in mind the need to ensure the safety of
staff.
“Community awareness and acceptance is paramount to ensure the
safety and security of this operation,” he insisted.
“However, getting aid to people in need into and across Gaza
cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where
needs are most acute,” he said.
“Land routes are the most viable, effective and efficient aid
delivery method, which is why we need all crossing points to be
opened.”
Rafah displacement continues
Updating on the situation in Rafah, OCHA reported that nearly
640,000 people have been displaced from the area since the
Israeli military offensive began. Many have fled to
overcrowded Deir al Balah governorate in central Gaza, where
conditions are dire.
The ongoing influx of displaced people there, and in Khan
Younis, continues to strain humanitarian response, which is
already overstretched.
OCHA said teams working on getting food to people in Gaza report
that only five bakeries remain operational across the enclave –
four in Gaza city and one in Deir al Balah. Nearly a dozen others
have stopped working due to fuel and supply shortages, amid
ongoing hostilities.
As a result, aid partners have been forced to conduct small-scale
distributions with limited stocks, providing reduced rations and
prioritizing Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.
Water and sanitation crisis
The ongoing displacement from Rafah to Khan Younis has
exacerbated the water and sanitation crisis, with sewage overflow
and solid waste spreading across roads, displacement camps, and
the rubble of destroyed homes – with a catastrophic impact on
health.
“Our colleagues working on ensuring that people in Gaza have
adequate shelter say there are no remaining stocks of shelter
materials inside Gaza,” OCHA said.
Fuel shortage
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that the
biggest issue now is fuel.
Spokesperson Tarik Jašarević reported that only 13 out of 36
hospitals in Gaza are now partially functioning, emphasizing that
fuel is required for electricity and to run generators.
He said health partners require between 1.4 million to 1.8
million litres monthly so that hospitals can function, but only
159,000 litres have entered Gaza, “and that's clearly not
sufficient”.
