May 21st 2024.
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the United Nations made the difficult decision to suspend food distribution on Tuesday due to a shortage of supplies and the escalating violence caused by Israel's military operation. This move comes as a warning that humanitarian efforts across the territory are in serious danger of collapsing.
According to a senior United States official, Israel has taken steps to address the concerns of the Biden administration regarding a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah, which is aimed at eradicating Hamas fighters in the area. It was previously reported that President Joe Biden was against a total military assault on the city due to the presence of innocent civilians. The anonymous official stated that although the administration did not explicitly approve the Israeli invasion plan, changes made by Israeli officials in their planning process showed that they were taking the concerns of the American administration seriously.
The past two weeks have seen a mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from Rafah, as they seek shelter in tent camps or overcrowded areas that have been previously devastated by Israeli offensives. It is believed that around 400,000 people still remain in the city, after approximately 900,000 fled in the midst of the chaos. The Israeli military office in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, COGAT, reported these numbers.
However, getting aid to the displaced civilians has been a challenging task, as land crossings have been closed and chaotic, and there have been issues with the U.S. military's new floating pier that was meant to provide an alternative sea route for aid into Gaza. In fact, over the weekend, desperate Palestinians took aid from a U.N. vehicle convoy that was coming from the pier. Since then, the U.N. has been unable to receive trucks there.
According to Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the movement of aid from the pier was paused for a few days but resumed on Tuesday. However, there has been no confirmation from the U.N. The World Food Program (WFP) has stated that it is running out of food for central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are currently living. WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa warned that if food and other supplies do not resume entering Gaza in large quantities, famine-like conditions will spread.
This dire situation comes at a time when Israel is trying to contain the international backlash after a request was made at the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants targeting both Israeli and Hamas leaders. The move has garnered support from three European countries, including Israel's ally, France. The chief prosecutor at the court has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare, a charge that they vehemently deny. The prosecutor also accused three Hamas leaders of war crimes for their involvement in the killing of civilians in an attack on October 7.
The U.N. has also reported that 1.1 million people in Gaza, almost half of the population, are facing catastrophic levels of hunger and the territory is on the brink of famine. The humanitarian crisis has worsened since Israeli forces entered Rafah on May 6, with tanks and troops seizing the Rafah crossing into Egypt and closing it since then. The only crossing that has seen any aid trucks enter is the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel, where only about three dozen trucks have been able to make it through due to the ongoing fighting.
Israel has maintained that there are no restrictions on the number of aid trucks entering Gaza. COGAT has reported that on Tuesday, 450 trucks entered through the Kerem Shalom crossing and a small crossing in northern Gaza. However, they also mentioned that over 650 trucks are waiting on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom to be retrieved, citing logistical and manpower issues among aid groups.
For months, the U.N. has been warning that an Israeli assault on Rafah would have devastating consequences on the efforts to provide food, medicine, and other supplies to the people of Gaza. Throughout the ongoing conflict, there have been heart-wrenching scenes of hungry children lining up at makeshift soup kitchens, with many families reduced to only one meal a day. At one point, the population of Rafah had swelled to 1.3 million people, as they fled fighting in other areas.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main agency for Palestinian refugees, announced the suspension of food distribution in Rafah on X, citing the lack of supplies. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated that the distribution center and the WFP's warehouses in Rafah were inaccessible due to the ongoing military operations. When asked about the consequences of suspending aid, Dujarric simply stated, "People don't eat."
The situation in southern Gaza's city of Rafah has taken a turn for the worse as the United Nations has been forced to suspend its food distribution services due to a shortage of supplies and the escalating violence caused by Israel's military operation. This has left many humanitarian operations in the territory on the brink of collapse.
According to a senior United States official, Israel has addressed some of the concerns raised by the Biden administration regarding a potential ground invasion of Rafah aimed at targeting Hamas militants. President Joe Biden had previously expressed his opposition to a full-scale military assault on a city filled with innocent civilians, but it seems that Israeli officials have taken the American administration's concerns into consideration.
Although the U.S. has not given the green light for the Israeli invasion plan, it is clear that Israeli officials have made changes to their planning in response to the American concerns. In the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah in a chaotic exodus, seeking shelter in tent camps or overcrowding already devastated areas. It is estimated that around 400,000 people are still in Rafah, after approximately 900,000 have rushed to escape the violence.
The delivery of aid to displaced civilians has been hindered by closed and chaotic land crossings, as well as issues with the U.S. military's new floating pier that was meant to provide an alternative sea route for aid into Gaza. In fact, over the weekend, hungry Palestinians were forced to take aid from a U.N. vehicle convoy coming from the pier. Since then, the U.N. has been unable to receive trucks at the pier.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed that the delivery of aid from the pier was temporarily paused, but it has since resumed on Tuesday. However, there has been no confirmation from the U.N. The World Food Program (WFP) also expressed its concern, stating that it is running out of food for central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are currently living.
A spokesperson for the WFP, Abeer Etefa, warned that if food and other supplies do not resume entering Gaza in large quantities, famine-like conditions will spread. This dire situation has emerged as Israel is trying to contain the international outcry over a recent request at the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders. This move has received support from three European countries, including France, which is a key ally of Israel.
The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare, a charge that they vehemently deny. The prosecutor also accused three Hamas leaders of war crimes for their involvement in the killing of civilians during the group's attack on October 7.
According to the U.N., about 1.1 million people in Gaza, which is nearly half of the population, are facing catastrophic levels of hunger, and the territory is on the brink of famine. This humanitarian crisis has worsened since Israeli forces entered Rafah on May 6, seizing the Rafah crossing into Egypt and closing it ever since. Since May 10, only a small number of trucks have been able to enter Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel due to the dangerous conditions for aid workers.
While Israel maintains that there are no restrictions on the number of trucks entering Gaza, COGAT has reported that only 450 trucks entered on Tuesday from their side of the crossing. They also mentioned that there are over 650 trucks waiting on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom, but they have not been able to retrieve them due to logistical and manpower issues among aid groups.
The U.N. has been warning for months that an Israeli assault on Rafah could have dire consequences for the delivery of aid to Palestinians across Gaza. Throughout the war, scenes of hungry children lining up at makeshift soup kitchens have become all too common in Rafah, with many families only able to eat one meal a day. The city's population had reached 1.3 million at one point, with the majority fleeing from fighting in other areas.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has announced the suspension of distribution in Rafah, citing a lack of supplies. A U.N. spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, stated that the UNRWA distribution center and the WFP's warehouses in Rafah are currently inaccessible due to the ongoing military operations.
When asked about the implications of suspending aid, Dujarric simply stated, "People don't eat." This is a stark reminder of the dire situation that the people of Gaza are currently facing, and it is crucial that humanitarian operations are able to resume without further delay.
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