The Commissioner for Crisis Management of the European Union, Janez Lenarčič, urged Israel on March 14 to open more routes to bring humanitarian assistance to Gaza, highlighting that there are already “hotspots of famine” in the enclave. In the midst of difficulties in finding food and water, at least six people were killed and dozens were injured by Israeli fire, while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza City, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported in recent hours.
Humanitarian aid, a need that has become a matter of life or death in the Gaza Strip.
In the enclave“There are already pockets of famine” that can spread to the entire territoryremarked this Thursday, March 14, the Commissioner for Crisis Management of the European Union, Janez Lenarčič.
Until now, the worst food security situation for Gazans had been warned by the UN and the hospitals of that Palestinian territory, which even reported on March 8 at least 20 deaths from malnutrition and dehydration, mainly among children.
Given the extreme need for basic elements for survival after more than five months of war, Lenarčič urged Israeli authorities to open more routes to allow aid transfers urgent to the nearly 2.3 million people who inhabit the blocked coastal strip.
For now, hopes are in the humanitarian corridor announced a week ago by the EU, from Cyprus. The first ship, operated by the Spanish NGO Open Armas and loaded with 20 tons of aid, continues its journey this Friday towards the enclave.
A second boat was loaded in the last few hours with 300 tons of food aid, including legumes, canned tuna, vegetables, rice and flour, to head towards the Palestinian territory, noted World Central Kitchen, the NGO of Spanish chef José Andrés, which helps in the distribution of these items.
Day by day, reports of minors dying or being at risk of death from acute malnutrition increase, an even worse situation in the north of the enclave, where the passage of food aid is completely blocked by Israeli troops, highlighted the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office.
Israel affirms that it will “flood” the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid
In the midst of the pressure due to the hunger situation that Gazans face in the midst of the Israeli offensive – in response to the bloody Hamas attack on October 7 – the Army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, assured in the last hours that his forces They will seek to “flood” the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid from a variety of entry points.
“We are trying to flood the area, to flood it with humanitarian aid,” said Hagari, before the foreign press.
However, the military spokesperson admitted that bringing supplies to the enclave is only part of the problem, as efforts are necessary to distribute them fairly and efficiently to all people in desperate need.
“The problem inside Gaza is the problem of distribution,” he stressed.
On Wednesday, March 13, and in the midst of international calls, the military institution indicated that six trucks with humanitarian assistance crossed on the night of Tuesday, March 12, directly from Israel to northern Gaza, along a new route. It was the first entry of this type in more than five months of war.
But for months, the passage of aid, which has only been allowed through the south of the enclave, has been scarce and discontinued in the face of checkpoints and bombing by Israeli troops.
Given the extreme urgency and reluctance until now put forward by the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan, and even Israel's greatest ally, the United States, began in recent weeks to try alternative routes. Among them, the dropping of supplies from the air with the help of planes from their respective Air Forces.
But this action is also risky for the inhabitants of Gaza. At least five people died on March 8 when they were hit by wooden boxes with humanitarian aid.
They denounce the death of six Palestinians by Israeli fire while they were waiting for humanitarian aid
At least six people were killed and dozens injured by fire from the Israeli Army, when crowds of Gazans waited to receive trucks with food in Gaza City, the enclave's Ministry of Health reported this Thursday.
It is the main city in the north of the territory, to where the flow of aid until now has been little or none and the events occurred on the night of Wednesday, March 13.
Residents and health officials described people rushing to get supplies at the Kuwait roundabout in the north of that city when Israeli forces opened fire. The Israeli Army has not yet commented on the matter.
This complaint recalls the tragic deaths of February 29, when according to reports from witnesses and local authorities, Israeli forces shot dead more than 100 Palestinians while they were waiting for humanitarian aid.
However, the Netanyahu Administration has denied the accusations and, although it acknowledged that its soldiers opened fire, it assured that they were warning shots when they were threatened by the crowd and that the majority of deaths were caused by an attack.
While the risk of famine is latent, many die in the midst of continuous Israeli bombings. This Friday, The total number of fatalities amounted to at least 31,341 people, indicated the local Ministry of Health.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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