(RNS) — Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 brutal attacks by Hamas has left millions of Palestinians without electricity, running water or access to other necessities.
Airstrikes by Israel’s military on Gaza and rocket fire from Hamas — along with an expected Israeli ground invasion — have added to the humanitarian crisis.
The U.N. announced Thursday (Oct. 19) that a convoy of trucks carrying aid will be allowed to enter Gaza from Egypt, The New York Times reported.
“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, told reporters, according to the Times. “We’re working with the Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent societies to deliver our supplies into Gaza as soon as the border crossing is opened, hopefully tomorrow.”
While humanitarian groups have been raising funds to help civilian victims of the war, their ability to provide assistance has been limited by the blockade.
Islamic Relief USA has been providing food, water and medical supplies in the region, drawing from what was in stock before the war broke out. Its partners on the ground have also bought some essentials from markets in Gaza, but supplies are limited, according to the group’s website.
Islamic Relief is also raising funds for the crisis and will use the money to buy food, medicine and other essentials. But it has not been able to deliver any new provisions “because of the blockade,” Minhaj Hassan, an Islamic Relief spokesperson, said in an email.
“Thus, this campaign is designed to stockpile supplies and distribute them once a humanitarian corridor becomes available,” Hassan said.
Thursday’s news that an aid convoy — reportedly 20 trucks — will be allowed into Gaza is “nowhere near enough,” said Islamic Relief in a statement. Much more aid is needed and “time is running out.”
FILE – Palestinians collect water in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, during ongoing Israeli bombardment on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. Since the Israeli military decided to cut off the Gaza Strip’s water and fuel and prevent aid convoys from entering, Palestinians in Gaza have sheltered with their families far from their homes and struggled to survive. It’s a grueling routine — waiting hours for bread, trying to find water, soothing children during bombings. (AP Photo/Ali Mohmoud)
“The scale of destruction in Gaza is enormous. Hospitals have closed and those that are still running are having to choose who to operate on as they run out of supplies. People are queuing for hours just to get a bit of bread, as food runs out.”
Islamic Relief called for a cease-fire in order to get needed aid to Gaza. Along with food and medicine, the charity said, fuel is needed to provide electricity for hospitals and water pumping systems.
“This aid can only be delivered safely if there is a ceasefire,” the charity said.
The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, a well-known charity that works in Gaza, is trying to raise $10 million for Gaza Relief. The group’s website says more than $7.6 million toward the goal has been raised so far.
In a letter to donors, the group’s leaders described the impact the violence and blockade have had on civilians in Gaza.
“Hospitals are overwhelmed and unable to provide adequate medical care due to the lack of medical supplies, electricity, and clean water,” they wrote. “The urgent intervention of the international community is critical now more than ever.”
Leaders of the International Red Crescent and International Red Cross issued a joint statement earlier this week detailing the ways their movements have responded to the war between Hamas and Israel. They also grieved that Palestinian and Israeli relief workers had been killed in the conflict.
Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip siti in a UNDP-provided tent camp in Khan Younis on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
“The Palestine Red Crescent Society and The Magen David Adom in Israel have been working around the clock to provide critical assistance, including ambulance and health services, to those affected. Their staff and volunteers are risking their lives every day to save others,” Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Robert Mardini, director-general of the International Red Cross, said in a joint statement.
“Just this week, we have lost colleagues from both National Societies, who were killed in the line of duty, carrying out life-saving humanitarian work. This is a tragic reminder of the dangers humanitarian and medical workers face and we offer our deepest condolences to their families, friends and colleagues. We reiterate our call that humanitarian workers must be protected.”
