As 20 aid trucks crossed the Rafah border this morning, seven hospitals across Gaza are at breaking point as incubators and life support machines have run out of fuel entirely.
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, said:
“We welcome any form of aid right now, but the level of aid being delivered into Gaza is a shameful insult to the millions of Gazans facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Before this crisis began, around 500 aid trucks would normally cross the border daily, providing a vital lifeline to millions of Gazans already facing a humanitarian crisis.
Aid trucks also did not bring with them the fuel needed to power hospitals, keep ambulances moving, or pump water from the ground. We’re hearing stories every day of communities coming together to donate whatever fuel they have remaining to keep incubators going for newborns who are in a critical condition.”
Bakeries, which are a vital lifeline for millions of Gazans, are also running out of the fuel needed to make bread.
This morning’s news comes as Al-Quds Hospital, one of the biggest in Gaza, has been issued with evacuation orders from the Israeli government. The Palestinian Red Crescent has said that the hospital, as with dozens of others across Gaza, serves 400 patients and shelters around 12,000 displaced people.
“Given the loss of life and destruction of Al-Ahli hospital the other night, it’s unconscionable that over 20 hospitals across Gaza are facing evacuation orders – a complete violation of International Humanitarian Law.”
“The failure to deliver aid is costing lives by the minute and by the hour. With 2.2 million Gazans facing a humanitarian crisis, we’re urgently calling for a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors. And while the focus has been on the Rafah border crossing, we are imploring the Israeli authorities to allow aid to flow through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint and other crossings from Israel. Only then can aid flow freely into Gaza and keep hospitals running.”
Riham Jafari, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at ActionAid Palestine
ENDS
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