CNN
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For the first time since early March on Wednesday, a limited amount of food was delivered to the desperate Gazan, but senior UN officials warned that it was “close enough” to prevent the worsening humanitarian crisis.
UN officials say they hope to offer more on Thursday.
Aid agencies warn that much of Gaza is on the hunger crisis if supplies are not allowed to be provided to volumes.
Until this week, Israel had banned all humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza since March 2, but Hamas said it had been stealing from it and making profits.
Tom Fletcher, former secretary general of humanitarian issues, posted on Thursday.
The humanitarian truck began delivering its first food and supplies in Gaza in more than 11 weeks on Wednesday. More than 90 trucks carrying flour, baby supplements and other foods have begun dispersing aid across southern Gaza, according to the head of the Gaza Transportation Association Nahid Shuheibah.
Kamel Ajour, owner of Ajour Bakeries in Gaza, said some of the flour will be distributed to bakeries in the south and they will start working “quickly.”
Schheiber wants a similar number of trucks on Thursday, but said two trucks were stolen by desperately hungry residents on Wednesday.
The UN Humanitarian Agreement Office (OCHA) said five kitchens resumed operations in Karn Unis and Gaza city late Wednesday, while the other five were forced to close due to shortages of supplies.
According to Cogat, Israeli agencies handled the passage of aid to Gaza, with five trucks entering Gaza on Monday, 93 trucks entering Tuesday, and another 100 on Wednesday.
However, Catherine Russell, head of the UN Children’s Fund, said Wednesday:
There was also a delay caused by disagreements between Israeli military forces and aid agencies on the route used within Gaza.
“The Israeli authorities had allowed our team to pass through one area that is very crowded, which felt we felt there was a very high chance of looting happening given the long-term deprivation in Gaza.
Ocha also said on Wednesday that “critical items such as sanitary products and fuels have not been permitted by Israeli authorities.”
Israel has approved a plan promoted by Mike Huckabee’s US Ambassador to Jerusalem for distribution of aid, organized by a private group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. UN officials say the plan is insufficient.
As aid began to drip into Gaza, Israeli forces continued to expand their operations, pushing civilians into smaller areas. Ocha said “a large number of people continue to be evacuated,” saying 80% of Gaza are either subject to displacement orders or are located in Israel’s militarized zones.
“The ongoing displacement of Gaza’s population is putting great pressure on humanitarian teams,” OCHA said.
United Nations agencies are also concerned about a strike at hospitals. While Kamal Adwan Hospital has halted its operations, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Wednesday at Al-Uda Hospital in northern Gaza, the region’s only partially functional facility, on Thursday that the closure of Indonesian hospitals in northern Gaza has taken over more than 400,000 health services.
In southern Gaza, European hospitals are not working after several Israeli attacks last week.
The International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) said it received a truck of medical supplies for Rafa’s field hospital, but added that it would take time to recover from the deficits created over the past 10 weeks.
“The days ahead are important,” the ICRC said.
Another issue is water, north of Gaza, where the largest desalination plant is in an area where civilians were told to leave. Many people have moved to Almawasi, a coastal region in the south, but are not connected to the water network and are heavily dependent on water transport.
Gaza City spokesman Acem Alnabi said there was a “major water crisis due to a decline in fuel supply.”
