Complying with one of the key points of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, and despite the logistical challenges, the volumes of essential supplies flowing into Gaza since Sunday are much higher than those recorded before the truce, which which is considered key to beginning to alleviate the serious humanitarian crisis in the Strip. However, humanitarian agencies warn that the needs among the population are enormous and that its more than two million inhabitants are in a situation of great vulnerability.
On the first day of the ceasefire, on Sunday, more than 630 aid trucks entered Gaza, according to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher. Of these, at least 300 headed to the north, the most devastated area. Added to that batch are another 915 who managed to enter this Monday, as indicated late in the day by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This is the largest daily volume that has entered the Strip since the start of the war – in October 2023 – since until now the day in which the greatest flow had been recorded was last May 3, when 340 trucks arrived. . Although there is no express evidence, it is likely that a significant part of these trucks are those that Egypt has allowed to pass, although not directly to the Strip, because Israel prevents it, but through an Israeli crossing. The commissioner general of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, also stated on Monday morning that aid and some commercial supplies were flowing “without problems.”
Much of the focus is now on food aid agencies, as almost the entire population of Gaza faces high levels of food insecurity and in some areas may have already crossed the threshold of famine. The UN World Food Program (WFP) has reported that since Sunday it has sent aid convoys from Egypt and Israel to the Strip through the border crossings of Karam Abu Salem, in the south, and Zikim, in the north. The agency says its goal is to deliver at least 150 trucks of food a day to begin “flooding” the Strip with supplies.
In addition to providing ready-made aid across Gaza, WFP is also trying to resupply local bakeries and provide nutritional supplements to thousands of malnourished children, and the agency says that when more commercial supplies arrive it will begin providing vouchers and cash in cash. cash to vulnerable families. “This is a fundamental first step, but the needs are immense,” acknowledged its executive director, Cindy McCain, who has considered it key that all border crossings remain open and operating “in an efficient, effective and reliable manner.”
Another of the main challenges for humanitarian agencies is to try to rehabilitate Gaza’s health system as soon as possible, which has been devastated by the Israeli army. It is estimated that at least 110,000 people have been injured in the war, with thousands more contracting infectious diseases or suffering from malnutrition. However, only half of the 36 hospitals in the Strip continue to operate partially, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which along with other organizations has also begun to send medical supplies to try to cover the most urgent needs.
One of the countries that is making the greatest efforts to increase the flow of assistance to Gaza is Egypt, the only one with which the Strip shares a border apart from Israel. During the first two days of the truce, the Arab country has allowed the passage of 650 aid trucks, of which 323 were sent on Monday, including 13 loaded with fuel, according to figures provided by local authorities. However, so far Egyptian trucks are not being able to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, which directly connects the two territories, due to inspection requirements by Israeli authorities and the destruction of the Palestinian terminal at the crossing. For this reason, Egyptian convoys must first be diverted to Israel and it is not known what part of their cargo is already inside the Strip.
Qatar, which together with the United States and Egypt led the mediation efforts that led to the agreement between Hamas and Israel, for its part announced on Monday the financing of a land bridge to supply Gaza with 12.5 million liters of fuel during the first 10 days of ceasefire. The first shipment was transported to the Strip on Monday by 25 trucks that entered through the Karam Abu Salem pass in the south, and is expected to supply electricity to hospitals, shelters for displaced people and other basic services.
During the first phase of the truce, at least 600 aid trucks are expected to enter Gaza each day, and UNRWA sources have told this media that 200 of these are expected to come from Egypt, although the country has the capacity to send further. In the last four and a half months before the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities allowed only a tenth of that aid to be introduced, according to calculations based on UN data.
