Name: Humanitarian groups sound the alarm on Gaza aid blockage
Uploaded: 2024-05-15T04:00:58.142Z
Duration: 2 min 18 s
Description: Aid trucks are not getting into Gaza, strangling food, water and medical supplies. Some truck drivers avoid areas where Israeli settlers attack aid trucks while Egypt and Israel blame each other for keeping the main Rafah crossing into Gaza closed after Israel captured it a week ago.

Aid trucks are not getting into Gaza, strangling food, water and medical supplies. Some truck drivers avoid areas where Israeli settlers attack aid trucks while Egypt and Israel blame each other for keeping the main Rafah crossing into Gaza closed after Israel captured it a week ago.

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The U.S-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza is holding, after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages.

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Gaza is currently facing severe shortages of food, water, and shelter following a blockade of aid trucks, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. The blockage began when Israel captured a key border crossing, significantly hindering the delivery of essential supplies. Residents of Gaza, including Hamdi Abu Raida and his family, are experiencing soaring prices and food scarcity, raising concerns about sustainability as supplies dwindle. The crisis is compounded by mutual accusations between Israel and Egypt regarding the responsibility for the closure of the Rafah crossing, a critical point for aid entry into Gaza.

The situation is further aggravated by attacks on aid convoys by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, instilling fear in drivers and hampering aid delivery efforts. Despite these challenges, Israel reports that some aid trucks have been able to enter Gaza through an alternative northern crossing, albeit in numbers drastically insufficient to meet the daily needs.

Amidst increasing international pressure, countries such as the U.S. and Britain are urging Israel to ensure the safety of humanitarian convoys. Organizations like Oxfam Canada are adapting to the crisis by developing portable infrastructure to serve the displaced populations, which now number over 450,000 from Rafah alone, according to Lauren Ravone of Oxfam Canada. Aid workers face the dual challenges of being targeted themselves and addressing the massive displacement of people.

As the United Nations' International Court of Justice prepares to conduct further hearings on the situation in Gaza, Israel could be subject to additional emergency orders to improve the humanitarian situation. The ongoing aid blockade and subsequent legal scrutiny underscore the complex interplay of geopolitical, humanitarian, and legal issues surrounding the crisis in Gaza.



Humanitarian groups sound the alarm on Gaza aid blockage

Gaza is being strangled. There's hardly any food, water or shelter after a week when most aid trucks were blocked from delivering their supplies when Israel captured a key border crossing. Hamdi Abu Raida and his family are back in the rubble of Khan Yunus after they had initially fled to Rafa. The prices here are so expensive. People can't get enough food. There is no good meal. He fears what will happen when the supplies his family brought with them are exhausted. I have messaged to all the world from humanity side also from Muslim side that we are human. We are like you. Israel and Egypt are blaming each other for the aid crisis. Israel says Egypt could reopen the crossing in Rafa but won't while Egypt says it's Israel's attack on the city that's preventing aid trucks from getting through. But other assistance for Gaza is also being blocked en route by Israeli protesters. On Monday, a group attacked a convoy traveling through the West Bank. We're afraid of approaching the checkpoint because of the rioting of the settlers said one fearful Palestinian driver. The U.S., Britain and others are demanding Israel protect the convoys. Israel said some trucks managed to enter Gaza through a northern crossing that's just a fraction of the hundreds of deliveries needed every day. We have never faced a situation like this. Lauren Ravone of Oxfam Canada says the aid blockage and the immense number of people displaced from Rafa 450,000 and counting have created staggering challenges. Aid workers are literally being targeted and they're also on the move on the run with the people they're serving. So you know Oxfam builds latrines water the hand washing stations. Now we're having to build them so that they can be folded up, carried and then reinstalled elsewhere. Israel will soon be back in court again over Gaza as the U.N.'s International Court of Justice holds more hearings later this week. It could issue more emergency orders for Israel to alleviate the aid situation. Chris Brown, CBC News, Jerusalem.

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