Israel allows trucks into Gaza, but supplies still low
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The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent says its operations in Gaza may stop within days in the absence of fresh supplies and its ambulance fleet was running at only one-third of capacity due to fuel shortages.
Flour and other aid began reaching some of Gaza’s most vulnerable areas on Thursday after Israel let some trucks through, but nowhere near enough to make up for shortages caused by an 11-week Israeli blockade, Palestinian officials said.
Israel said it let in 100 trucks carrying baby food and medical equipment on Wednesday, two days after announcing its first relaxation of the blockade under mounting international pressure amid warnings of starvation in Gaza.
Asked how long his organisation could continue operating in Gaza, Palestine Red Crescent Society President Younis Al-Khatib told reporters in Geneva: “It’s a matter of time. It could be days.
“We are running out of fuel. The capacity of ambulances we work with now is one third,” he added, saying its gasoline-powered ambulances had already halted but it had some that were running on solar power provided by the United Nations.
The PRCS is part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and provides medical care in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Al-Khatib criticised the small amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza so far, warning of the risk of mob attacks.
“I think that is an invitation for killing. These people are starving,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Thursday the construction of a “distribution zone” would be completed in the coming days with US companies distributing food in areas controlled by the Israeli military.
“Ultimately, we intend to have large safe zones in the south of Gaza. The Palestinian population will move there for their own safety while we conduct combat in other zones, and receive humanitarian aid there without Hamas interference,” he said in a video statement released by his office.
Israel imposed the blockade on all supplies in March, saying Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters – a charge the group denies.
The United Nations has said one quarter of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people are at risk of famine.
The Palestinian health minister said 29 children and elderly people had died from starvation-related reasons in the enclave in recent days and many thousands more were at risk.
Israel has repeatedly defended its controls on aid in the Gaza Strip, saying reports from aid groups of famine-like conditions were exaggerated and denying accusations of causing starvation.
On Wednesday night, boys and young men gathered after one vehicle arrived in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis but kept back as men, some holding guns, watched over the unloading of sacks.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had got one truck of medical supplies through to replenish its field hospital in Rafah but more was needed.
Israel has stepped up its military operation in the Gaza Strip since early May, saying it is seeking to eliminate Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and bring back remaining hostages seized in October 2023.
Israel launched its campaign in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 which killed 1200 people by Israeli tallies and resulted in 251 hostages being abducted.
The campaign has since killed more than 53,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip, where aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
Reuters
