Gaza’s residents are in urgent need of humanitarian aid deliveries, but it is still impossible. The only available checkpoint to Gaza is closed, despite agreements on its opening today.
As the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip deepens, with food, fuel and water running short, humanitarian aid from several countries has been held up in Egypt pending a deal for its safe delivery to Gaza and the evacuation of some foreign passport holders through the Rafah border crossing. According to the UN, fuel reserves at all hospitals across the enclave are expected to last for about an additional 24 hours.
On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that there was no truce for humanitarian aid to Gaza in exchange for getting foreigners out.
The international community has repeatedly requested that Israeli officials open ‘safe corridors’ for Gaza residents. On Sunday, the IDF officially announced the opening of an evacuation corridor from northern part of Gaza to the southern area. Simultaneously, UN Secretary-General Guterres appealed to Hamas to grant “unimpeded access for humanitarian aid” into the Gaza Strip and to immediately release all hostages. However, Israel refused to allow humanitarian cargo to enter the enclave.
How can the humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip now and what are the positions of Israel, Palestine and Egypt on the matter? Sputnik tried to find the answers.
What’s the Problem With the Checkpoints?
There were only three checkpoints available to exit the Gaza Strip: Erez and Kerem Shalom to Israel and Rafah to Egypt.
The first one, Erez, was situated in the northern border from Gaza to Israel, worked exclusively to let people go through and was completely destroyed during Hamas’ sneak attack on southern Israel on October 7. The same fate befell Kerem Shalom, the second checkpoint on that ominous morning – which was the only one that allowed all large cargo to enter Gaza, because of the economic blockade that Israel had imposed on the Gaza Strip under Hamas rule in 2007. For now, only the Rafah checkpoint to Egypt is available for operation, but the situation at the crossing remains unclear.
Source: Sputnik