Desperately needed aid piles up outside Gaza as WHO warns water is running out
Vital humanitarian aid is piling up at the shuttered Gaza border, despite diplomatic efforts to open a corridor with Egypt, as the World Health Organization warned that water is running out for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the bombarded territory. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that water is running out for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the bombarded territory of Gaza, as diplomatic efforts to open a corridor with Egypt have failed to take effect, leaving hospitals on the brink of collapse and families facing dehydration and starvation. United States President Joe Biden is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to address the humanitarian crisis, and UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday to aid diplomatic efforts. The WHO has warned of an “imminent” public health crisis, with water running out and the lives of more than 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals at immediate risk. Palestinians are gathering at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza hoping to leave, as critical supplies like fuel, food and water run short. Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza side of the border have caused roads to be inoperable, while UN teams are waiting at the Egyptian side hoping they will be given the green light to enter Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 2 ปีที่แล้ว โดย Jessie Yeung ใน Health
Vital humanitarian aid is piling up at the shuttered Gaza border, despite diplomatic efforts to open a corridor with Egypt, as the World Health Organization warned that water is running out for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians in the bombarded territory.
Gaza has been under siege by Israel for for more than a week, in response to the deadly incursion by Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the coastal enclave, home to 2.2 million people.
Some are gathering at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza hoping to leave, as critical supplies like fuel, food and water run short, leaving hospitals on the brink of collapse and families facing dehydration and starvation.
Amid growing international pressure to address the humanitarian crisis, United States President Joe Biden will arrive in Israel on Wednesday, an extraordinary wartime visit that follows frenzied efforts by Secretary of State Antony Blinken across the Middle East – including a seven-hour negotiation session with top Israeli officials.
On Tuesday, Blinken announced that the US and Israel “have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza.”
However, it is unclear if any progress was made on the opening of the Rafah crossing, the only entry point to Gaza not controlled by Israel.
A Palestinian border official told CNN on Saturday that concrete slabs had been placed at the crossing, blocking all gates; Egypt, meanwhile, claims that Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza side of the border have made roads inoperable.
Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies show four 30-foot (9-meter) craters still blocking the roadway at the border crossing closest to the Egyptian gate; the cement slabs blocking the entrance are also visible in the photos.
Through it all, the pileup – and urgent calls for help – are growing on both sides of the border.
On the Egyptian side, United Nations teams are waiting at the crossing, hoping they will be given the green light to enter Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor.
In a social media post Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Gaza faces an “imminent” public health crisis, with water running out and the lives of more than 3,500 patients in 35 hospitals at immediate risk.
WHO also called for “unobstructed access for humanitarian aid into Gaza” in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday to aid diplomatic efforts, according to a release from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. His trip will include a visit to Israel.
Palestinians carry a person wounded in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, October 16. People prepare to board a ship that will transport US nationals and their immediate family members from Haifa, Israel, to Cyprus on October 16. Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian youth during his funeral in Nablus, West Bank, on October 15. Israeli army soldiers patrol at an undisclosed position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15. People carry children as they flee following an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, October 15. Palestinian children look at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Rafah, Gaza, on October 15. Antonio Macías' mother cries over her son's body at Pardes Haim cemetery in Kfar Saba, Israel, on October 15. Macías was killed by Hamas at an Israeli music festival earlier this month. Palestinians collect water from a tap on October 15 after Israel blocked supplies of electricity, food, water and fuel to Gaza. People react at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on Saturday, October 14. Eli Albag cries over the photograph of his daughter Liri, as he gathers with others during a protest demanding the release of more than 100 Israelis who were abducted during last week's Hamas attack, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 14. Leaflets dropped from Israeli army planes fall over Gaza City on Friday, October 13. An Israeli soldier looks inside a house that was overrun by Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel, on October 13. Palestinians rescue a wounded man from the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza, on October 13. Israeli artillery fires on the Israel-Gaza border on October 13. Israelis take cover after hearing warning sirens of incoming rockets fired from Gaza in Rehovot, Israel, on October 13. Fire and smoke rise above buildings in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike on October 13. A Palestinian child is injured during bombing in Gaza on October 13. Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to seek refuge in the south, on October 13. Mourners attend the funeral of Israeli soldier Abraham Cohen at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Thursday, October 12. Family members of Valentin Ghnassia react during his funeral ceremony at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on October 12. Ghnassia was killed in a battle with Hamas militants in Be'eri, Israel. An Israeli soldier patrols near the Nova music festival grounds near Be'eri, Israel, on October 12. An Israeli military helicopter flies near the border between Gaza and Sderot, Israel, on October 12. Palestinians seek shelter in Khan Younis, Gaza, after a house next door was hit by an Israeli airstrike on October 12. A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12. Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12. A Palestinian woman covered in dust and dirt carries a child in Gaza City on October 12. An Israeli soldier walks by a house destroyed by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Be'eri on Wednesday, October 11. An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11. People carry bodies of Palestinians killed during an Israeli airstrike prior to their burial in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11. An aerial view of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes at the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza City on October 11. Mourners react beside the body of Mapal Adam during her funeral in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11. Palestinians run from Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11. Israeli soldiers load donated food into the back of a military vehicle in Sderot, Israel, on October 11. Bullet holes are seen in a cracked window at the entrance of a kindergarten in Be'eri, Israel, on October 11. The self-sustaining farming community near Gaza was one of the first places targeted by Hamas militants on October 7. A mourner reacts while burying a child from the al-Agha family, who were killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11. Itzik and Miriam Shafir, center, mourn during their son's funeral at a cemetery in Modiin Maccabim, Israel, on October 11. Their son, Dor Shafir, and his girlfriend, Savion Kiper, were killed during Hamas' attack on a music festival on Saturday. A boy carries salvaged belongings from the wreckage of his family's home in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 11. Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on the seaport of Gaza City on Tuesday, October 10. Israeli soldiers carry a body on October 10 in Kfar Aza, a village in Israel just across the border from Gaza. Hamas militants carried out a "massacre" in Kfar Aza during their attacks over the weekend, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a relative killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on October 10. People mourn at the grave of Eden Guez during her funeral in Ashkelon, Israel, on October 10. She was killed as she attended a music festival that was attacked by terrorists from Gaza . Israeli officials counted at least 260 bodies at the Nova Festival. Israeli soldiers take position in Kfar Aza near the border with Gaza on October 10. Palestinians rescue a young girl from the rubble of a destroyed residential building following an Israeli airstrike on October 10. Stranded travelers wait to be booked on a flight at Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv on October 10. Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Israelis in Ashkelon take cover in a shelter as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on October 10. People gather around the bodies of two Palestinian reporters, Mohammed Soboh and Said al-Tawil, who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 10. Israelis mourn as they attend the funeral of Israel Defense Forces soldier Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg at Mount Herzel Cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 10. A Palestinian man reacts as he carries the body of his cousin who was pulled from the rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Monday, October 9. A family takes shelter at a neighbor's house after their home was damaged in an Israeli airstrike in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9. Children run for cover as bombs fall near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 9. A photo from a wedding is seen on the ground of a building in Ashkelon that was hit by rockets from Gaza on October 9. People take shelter in Jerusalem on October 9. The ruins of the Yassin mosque are seen in the Shati refugee camp just outside Gaza City on October 9. Friends and relatives of Ilai Bar Sade mourn next to his grave during his funeral at a military cemetery in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9. Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Though the child had survived the initial strike, she died later while being treated for her injuries. Lightning strikes over Gaza City following an Israeli bombardment on October 9. Israeli soldiers take position near the border between Gaza and Israel on October 9. A Palestinian man mourns over the body of his nephew killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9. Israeli security and emergency officials respond after a rocket landed in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Ilit, in the occupied West Bank, on October 9. Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on October 9. Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9. Palestinians remove a body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza on October 9. A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9. The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son's funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on October 9. Palestinians inspect damage from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp on October 9. An injured Palestinian child is pictured in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes at al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza on October 9. Israelis view a damaged residential building in Ashkelon after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on October 9. Tali Touito reacts as she describes how Hamas gunmen attacked and took over the police station on her street, in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday, October 8. Fire and smoke rise from Gaza City following an Israeli airstrike on October 8. A relative of an Israeli missing since the attacks is overcome by emotion during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Israel, on October 8. Palestinians inspect a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 8. An Israeli soldier prays standing in front of a tank on the outskirts of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona on October 8. Israelis inspect the rubble of a building in Tel Aviv on October 8, a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza. Palestinians search the rubble of a home in Khan Younis that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes on October 8. Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8. Rockets launched from Gaza are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system on October 8. Palestinian children look toward the sky at the sound of airstrikes at a United Nations-run school in Gaza on Saturday, October 7. A woman runs to her family's reinforced concrete shelter moments after rocket sirens sounded in Ashkelon on October 7. From the window of his family's apartment, a man surveys damage from a rocket that struck a parking lot in Ashkelon on October 7. Palestinians gather around an Israeli army vehicle that Palestinian militants drove from Israel into Gaza on October 7. Palestinians break into the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, after gunmen infiltrated parts of southern Israel on October 7. Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket in Ashkelon on October 7. Israeli police take cover in Ashkelon as sirens wail while rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel on October 7. Smoke rises over Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on October 7. An Israeli woman reacts over the body of her relative who was killed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on October 7. Children are seen in a damaged house in Gaza after Israeli airstrikes on October 7. Vehicles in Ashkelon burn as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7. A man in Ashkelon runs after rockets were launched from Gaza on October 7. Palestinians inspect a destroyed building as emergency responders try to contain fires after Israeli jets bombed Gaza on October 7. Outside of a hospital in Gaza, men sit next to the covered body of a Palestinian militant killed during Saturday's clashes. Relatives of Palestinians killed on Saturday, October 7, mourn at the morgue of a hospital in Gaza. An Israeli soldier stands by the bodies of Israelis killed by Palestinian militants in Sderot on October 7. A woman stands in a room damaged by rockets in Ashkelon on October 7. A building in Tel Aviv is ablaze Saturday, October 7, following rocket attacks from Gaza. Smoke rises as the clashes between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces continue on the streets of Beit Hanun in Gaza on October 7. People take cover in a bomb shelter in Rishon Lezion, Israel, as rockets are launched from Gaza on October 7. Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza on October 7. In pictures: The deadly clashes in Israel and Gaza
A convoy of trucks carrying aid supplies was traveling through Egypt toward the crossing early Tuesday, according to state-affiliated media outlet Al-Qahera News. Much of the aid already arrived days ago, sent by multiple countries and international organizations.
And on the Gaza side, large numbers of evacuees have gathered by the crossing, part of the mass migration that has seen at least a million people flee their homes in the past week alone, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
One family of five Palestinian-Americans, all US citizens, drove to Rafah on Monday after hearing the borders would be opened, said Haifa Kaoud, whose husband Hesham is among the five stuck in Gaza.
“They drove down to Rafah on Monday and waited for hours, but it never opened,” she said, adding: “They don’t have much electricity or internet access, so they depend on us for information.”
The family had been visiting relatives in Gaza when the war broke out; now, their loved ones in the US are desperately trying to find ways to bring them home.
“The water is not clean and even though they still have food, they make sure not to eat too much so there’s enough for everyone,” Haifa said. “One of the brothers also takes heart medication and they’re concerned about that lasting too.”
On Monday, the UN Security Council rejected a Russian resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire because it did not get the minimum number of votes needed. Several countries including the US, the United Kingdom and France voted against it because the draft did not condemn Hamas for the October 7 attack, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said left at least 1,400 people killed and scores taken hostage.
The week of Israeli bombardment killed more than 2,800 people, including hundreds of children, and wounded more than 11,000 in Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Monday, according to the official Palestinian press agency, WAFA.
On Tuesday morning, the Palestinian Interior Ministry said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 people in Rafah and an unspecified number of people in Khan Younis.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN he was “not aware of any strikes specifically in those areas but they could have happened.”
“The combat operations continue,” he said. “We continue to hunt Hamas operatives to attempt to degrade their military capabilities.”
หัวข้อ: Middle East