Essential help for people in need is building up at the closed border of Gaza, even though attempts are being made to open a passage with Egypt. The World Health Organization has raised concerns that there is a shortage of water for many Palestinians who have been forced to leave their homes due to the bombings.
For over a week, Israel has put Gaza in a lockdown because of a violent attack by Hamas, the group that controls the area and is known for extremist beliefs. Gaza is a place where 2. 2 million people live.
Some people are going to the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to try to leave because there is not enough fuel, food, and water. This is causing hospitals to almost close down and families to not have enough water and food.
With a lot of pressure from other countries to help with the crisis, President Joe Biden is going to Israel on Wednesday. This is an unusual visit during a time of war and comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken worked really hard to talk to important Israeli leaders for seven hours.
On Tuesday, Blinken said that the US and Israel have agreed to make a plan to help send humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza.
But we don’t know if any steps were taken to open the Rafah crossing, which is the only way to get into Gaza that Israel doesn’t control.
An official from Palestine said that big blocks have been put at the crossing, stopping all gates. Egypt also says that Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza side of the border have made the roads not work.
Satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies reveal that there are four holes, each about 30 feet in size, still obstructing the road at the border crossing near the Egyptian gate. The photos also show that the cement blocks that were used to block the entrance can be seen.
Many people on both sides of the border are urgently asking for help.
On the Egyptian side, there are United Nations teams waiting at the Rafah crossing. They are hoping they will be allowed to enter Gaza and create a pathway for delivering humanitarian aid.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a social media post on Monday that Gaza is in a very serious situation regarding public health. They mentioned that there is a shortage of water and around 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals are in danger right now.
The spokesperson for WHO, Margaret Harris, said to CNN that the UN health agency made a deal with Egypt’s president to open the Rafah crossing for aid. However, Israel’s attacks made the place unsafe, which stopped the movement of important supplies.
“It’s really scary and upsetting to wait, and all of us just want to help,” Harris said. He also mentioned that there are around 84,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and a lot of them give birth every day.
“She said that babies do not worry about bombs, they arrive when they arrive. ”
The UN envoy, Martin Griffiths, will go to Cairo on Tuesday to help with diplomatic efforts, according to a statement from the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs. He is going to Israel during his trip.
A group of trucks filled with help and supplies was moving through Egypt towards the crossing on Tuesday, as reported by Al-Qahera News, which is related to the government. A lot of help came a few days ago from many countries and international groups.
Many people in Gaza have come together near the border crossing. Over a million people have left their homes in just one week, says the United Nations.
A group of five Palestinian-Americans, who are also citizens of the US, went to Rafah on Monday because they heard that the borders were going to be opened. Haifa Kaoud, whose husband Hesham is one of the five people trapped in Gaza, shared this information.
“She said that they went to Rafah on Monday, but they had to wait for a long time and it never opened. She also mentioned that they don’t have a lot of electricity or internet, so they rely on us for information. ”
The family was in Gaza visiting relatives when the war started. Now, their loved ones in the US are doing their best to find a way to bring them back home.
Haifa said that the water is dirty. Despite having food, they try not to eat a lot so that there is enough for everyone. “One of the brothers also takes medicine for his heart, and they are worried about it lasting too long as well. ”
UNRWA announced on Tuesday that Gaza’s only seawater desalination plant has stopped operating, which increases the chance of more people dying.
The United Nations agency said that in southern Gaza on Monday, a small amount of water was available for three hours. However, this was only enough to serve half of the 100,000 people living in Khan Younis.
The UNRWA said that the lack of water and sanitation services is causing dehydration and waterborne diseases to become a big problem.
On Monday, the UN Security Council said no to a proposal from Russia for a temporary stop to fighting in order to help people in need. The resolution didn’t receive enough votes to pass. Many countries, like the US, UK, and France, voted against it because the draft did not blame Hamas for the attack on October 7. The Israeli army said that the attack caused the deaths of at least 1,400 people and many others were taken as hostages.
The Israeli bombing last week caused the death of over 2,800 people, including many children, and injured more than 11,000 in Gaza, said Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Monday, as reported by the official Palestinian press agency, WAFA.
The Palestinian Interior Ministry said that on Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes caused the death of at least 49 people in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will continue conducting airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas militant targets. He mentioned that their primary goal is to degrade Hamas’ capabilities and prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians. Conricus also stated that they are taking precautions to minimize civilian casualties and suggested that any casualties reported may be the result of misfired rockets by Hamas. Colonel Jonathan Conricus, when talking to CNN, said that he did not know about any targeted attacks happening in those places, but they might have occurred.
“He said the fighting is still happening. ” We are still looking for members of Hamas to try to weaken their ability to fight.
Gilad Erdan, Israel’s representative at the UN, disagreed with claims of ethnic cleansing made by a UN official who works on protecting Palestinian rights. Erdan said that the claims were completely not true and accused UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese of hating Jewish people.
In a statement on Saturday, Albanese accused Israel of forcibly removing many Palestinians from their homes during past conflicts in 1948 and 1967. He said this was like a mass removal of Palestinians based on their ethnicity.