The United Nations’ top humanitarian official is calling on Israel to open all entry points to Gaza to facilitate a significant increase in aid delivery to the region. Speaking from El-Arish, Egypt, after inspecting the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, Tom Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, expressed the emotional impact of witnessing the stockpiled supplies awaiting transportation into Gaza.
While some humanitarian aid has started to arrive, Fletcher emphasized the urgent need to ramp up the delivery, aiming for a substantial increase in truck convoys carrying essential items like food and medicine into Gaza on a weekly basis. Although aid shipments have been making their way through the Kerem Shalom and Kissufim crossings in Israel, Fletcher stressed the necessity of opening additional crossings, including Rafah, to ensure unhindered assistance reaches civilians in need.
Israel has indicated its intention to open the Rafah crossing for the movement of people but not for humanitarian aid passage, citing that such an agreement was never made. Despite ongoing tensions stemming from previous conflicts, Fletcher remains hopeful for positive developments regarding the opening of the Rafah Crossing in the days ahead.
Accompanied by Samer Abdeljaber, regional director for the World Food Program in Cairo, Fletcher and his team advocate for increased access through more border crossings to facilitate aid distribution and ensure the safety and well-being of the people in Gaza. Aid trucks began entering Gaza recently, yet medical services remain scarce, and a vast majority of the population, approximately 2.2 million people, are displaced.
The devastation caused by extensive Israeli bombardments and airstrikes has left much of the densely populated area in ruins, resulting in substantial casualties and widespread destruction. Efforts to expedite aid operations are crucial, as emphasized by humanitarian organizations working in Gaza, who stress the urgent need for sustained support to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis and to initiate the long process of rebuilding the region.
