There is still a long line of trucks carrying aid to Gaza at the Rafah border crossing. Israel and the United Nations are arguing about the reason behind this. “The UN must do better — the aid is there and the population needs it,” Cogat, the Israeli government agency that coordinates humanitarian aid to Gaza, wrote in a post on X.
Trucks are currently heading from Egypt to the Rafah border crossing, which is actually not suitable for many means of transportation. The trucks must travel forty kilometers to the Rabi Oga border crossing between Israel and Egypt for inspection by the Israelis, then return by the same route to Rafah, where the United Nations transfers the goods to trucks that transport the materials to the rest of the Gaza Strip.
The Government Coordination Unit reported that the Israelis had provided more capacity to inspect trucks. In addition, the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Israel and Gaza will soon be opened. This will double the capacity for inspections. Relief organizations working in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the fighting there have complained that only a small amount of aid supplies have arrived.
The United Nations human rights agency OCHA admitted yesterday that the United Nations has been able to receive fewer aid supplies in recent days than in the past. This is believed to be partly due to a shortage of trucks and the loss of telephone and internet communications as a result of the fighting. In addition, UN staff will not be able to travel to the border crossing due to the fighting. The Israeli army is advancing towards the south, where the city of Rafah is located.
According to OCHA, most aid supplies do not reach beyond Rafah. Due to the intensity of the fighting and the many roadblocks and checkpoints, it is almost impossible to deliver goods to the rest of the Gaza Strip. A number of basic commercial institutions are being supplied with fuel, and a Red Crescent convoy arrived at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Saturday.
Martin Albers
